Not swayed by P&R’s leaflet on tax proposal

I fully support Deputy Heidi Soulsby’s opposition to the 5% goods and services tax proposal, due to be debated by the States this month. I am also not swayed at all by Policy & Resources’s PR leaflet on the subject which recently dropped through our letter boxes. I don’t buy it.

As Deputy Soulsby said when interviewed, previously in the States of Guernsey a committee would present its budget to the senior Policy & Resources Committee who would thoroughly scrutinise and challenge the requests of each committee in turn. That same robust challenge appears to be absent in this present Policy & Resources Committee. Deputy Soulsby also stated that she knows there are opportunities to make savings by doing some things differently and more efficiently but those opportunities are now being missed.

She added that Policy & Resources overstates the amount of tax needing to be raised, and shows no empathy with ‘average’ and low income householders with this proposal.

I am also impressed by Horace Camp’s viewpoint. He understands that, regarding the finances of the States, ‘revenues have been higher than expected’, there is ‘cash in the bank and there are reasonable reserves’.

He adds: ‘The same can’t be said for the majority of the good people of Guernsey’. (i.e. their financial situation).To quote Mr Camp again: ‘Once the seed of GST is planted, who knows how tall it will grow in future?’

I think it would be the thin end of the wedge and believe that if more funds are needed, there must be another way, other than the introduction of GST which would (unfairly in my opinion) in effect transfer even more cash from islanders’ pockets to the government’s coffers.

So I’m hoping that, when debated by the States Assembly, it is a no for GST and a yes to creative alternative proposals.

ROSEMARY SLIMM (NEE ROBILLIARD)