We cannot afford four more years of this governance
WE ARE now informed that this States wishes to increase annual taxation by £132m. per annum plus, possibly, another £40m. to settle civil service pay claims. So a cool £172m. pa in total. On a per capita basis that means £2,774 per annum per head of the population. Not per taxpayer, but per person, so includes babies and grannies. To put that in context, government General Revenue Income was £452m. in 2018 (up from £413m. in 2016, a nine per cent increase over two years).
On the other hand, over the water, the very moderate Marxist Jeremy Corbyn had in mind £80bn per annum for the UK in terms of tax increase. On a per capita basis (babies and grannies included) that was a very modest £1,230 per head roughly for the UK.
So, to save our economy, should we beg Mr Corbyn to come down and govern us? He now has the time to spare.
Probably not, but these figures do give us an idea of what we are facing. It is very difficult to know how accurate any of these figures are but they are on the table and give a general idea of the direction of travel.
We simply cannot afford four more years of this governance. We have seen the proposed wrecking of our education system (£170m. plus plus plus, they have no idea), yet another IT contract (£200m. over 10 years), smaller items such as the Salerie Corner at well over £100,000 for rearranging the tarmac and the idiotic L’Ancresse wall proposal pushing £2m. Plus the endless consultancy contracts, most of which are badly conceived and never read or understood. Not to mention our ludicrously generous benefits system (at twice UK levels) with all the moral hazard that entails. On and on and on.
Even in the last month, the States have casually agreed to pay £500 to anyone who plans to stand for election. That will cost about £60,000 or more. Wouldn’t that be better spent giving 60 hard-pressed families £1,000 off their taxes?
On the regulatory front, we see horrendous proposals in the disability/discrimination laws to foist enormous costs on business (and indirectly employees) in circumstances where it is admitted that we do not really have the actual issues in this area that the proposed law will allegedly address.
So, for no good reason, more government expenditure, more costs for business, more fees to the lawyers, leading inexorably to less business and lower incomes all round.
We see consultations on raising TRP and income tax and introducing a sales tax and, even worse, some deputies seeking to lock in long-term spending commitments ahead of the upcoming election.
We have now reached the point that, at the next election, we must have the option to vote for a group of members with good value/low regulation governance at the heart of its agenda. We must know what we are voting for. We need people from all walks of life but with intellectual competence, not, it may sound harsh, those who stand for election because it will pay more (and for fewer hours) than they could achieve in the private sector.
JOHN DYKE,
Les Effards,
Rue de la Foire,
Castel, GY5 7DJ.