Even that near break-even position depends on Chief Pleas agreeing to the increases when it meets on 18 November.
The Policy & Finance Committee estimates the island’s total income next year at £2,686,058, with spending of £2,682,582.
The committee said balancing the books had been difficult because of essential infrastructure work begun this year, including stabilisation works on La Coupee, rockfall protection at the harbour, improvements to waste disposal and planning for a sewage system.
‘These projects are critical to maintaining the island’s safety, resilience and long-term operational capacity,’ it said.
‘Balancing these infrastructure requirements while maintaining a responsible fiscal position has been challenging.’
But the committee is upbeat about the medium term. It said the forecasts for 2028 and 2029 looked much better, with healthy surpluses even if direct tax rises were held to 3% a year. That would allow Sark to start rebuilding its cash reserves.
Chief Pleas will also be asked to extend its £300,000 loan to the Isle of Sark Shipping Company for a second time, to 30 March next year.
P&F said it was disappointed the company had not yet put forward a suitable financing proposal, which made the extension unavoidable. No details had been given of a long-term solution, but the committee said it would no longer involve an interest-free loan.
‘The revised proposal, including provision for capital repayment, will then be brought to Chief Pleas for approval at an extraordinary meeting in early 2027,’ it said.
‘On the information presently available, the committee does not anticipate that any further extension will be necessary.’
Members will also be asked to approve spending almost £20,000, the remaining money in the Dame Sibyl Hathaway Settlement Trust, on a secure accommodation pod. It would serve both as a place of detention and as a safe space for vulnerable people.
P&F said the pod would be an invaluable asset, allowing people to be detained safely and lawfully. It would also provide somewhere appropriate for vulnerable people in need of support or protection.
The fund originally held £51,427, raised from the sale of items left by the Dame that had no direct link to Sark.
It has previously helped pay for toilets at La Coupee and the rebuilding of the Manoir Cider Barn.
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