Guernsey Press

Use the experience of retired people to prevent tax increases

THIS letter responds to the excellent Press article by a deputy.

Published

Tax increases: As he says, many people are ageing and fewer babies are being born, which means the population in the years ahead will fall in Guernsey. I differ from the opinion of the deputy in that I believe Guernsey is overpopulated, but agree that we need a solution that is not ‘tax increases’ or certainly not importing more immigrants.

Aged retired people are just absolutely full of experience and knowledge but have no avenue to express their knowledge.

My proposal is to make it much easier for retired people to identify potential new ideas for businesses, but not to work in the businesses. For each new idea that proves viable the retired person gets shares or a percentage of profits.

Once the idea is identified, make it easier for others to start up any new businesses or for the idea to be licensed to an existing manufacturer of similar products.

The current Digital Greenhouse is not the solution as it is basically a room to sit in with technical facilities. It costs about £2.4m. per year.

Take an example: A retired decorator thinks of a new paint brush that solves the difficult problem of painting straight-line edging with no errors at all.

The retired decorator has no idea at all how to actually make a paint brush or how to sell the product. The Digital Greenhouse cannot help him.

Set up a very strong back-support team to actually solve ideas. This will cost cash and will need a range of skills but there exist people who are very ‘solution able’. This back-support team would also be given a percentage of the profits.

Same for a retired plumber, a retired hairdresser, a retired mechanic, a retired care worker, a specialist dementia carer. Medical doctors know a host of problems. He or she knows the constant problems when working which are still there when retired.

Guernsey is full of these skilled retired people – looking at TV for hours, drifting from pub to pub, talking to similar people while having a coffee in Town, wasting away their final years. They would all value a purpose and getting more cash.

So the baby boomers and aged Guernsey people would ooze ideas which would form the basis of new cash coming into Guernsey.

Young people would not have a clue about having original ideas based upon many years of experience, but may well be ideal for needed computer solutions in exchange for cash from the profits.

After a few years Guernsey would be an improved place with less need to increase taxes.

REX FERBRACHE