Hints of a snarl behind the smiles
LAST Christmas, the new president of the Policy & Resources Committee was aiming to put smiles on faces and urging us all to ‘learn to laugh together’ after a pretty bleak end to the political life of the predecessors.
Now the outlook for Deputy Lyndon Trott and his committee looks every bit as disheartening as that which faced Deputy Peter Ferbrache and co.
The money’s running out – and faster than anyone expected.
P&R’s update on public finances contained bad news after bad news.
Some of it expected, some of it not, and now dogged by historical skeletons appearing from corporate tax closets at the Revenue Service wiping millions of the income side of States accounts.
Just when the ‘new’ P&R was starting to be held to account for failing to progress issues it had inherited – pay talks etc – it is ready to show that it’s prepared to flex its muscles.
A fairly strong warning has been laid down that this committee won’t shy away from seeking to raise taxes, in whatever form that might take.
Forget about talking the public around, roadshows and sweeteners, this sounds like we’re expecting a pretty blunt attempt to fix the finances.
We’ll have to see whether political colleagues will have the courage to run with it, and how the public feels now the smiles are fading.