Pensioners will see greater hardship as a result of GST
WE KEEP reading releases from P&R regarding the tax restructure with one of the proposals for GST which would benefit low-income earners up to £30,000 as their income tax rate would be only 15%. However, there is no mention regarding those people whose only income is the state pension. If a person is only in receipt of the state pension of £13,000 they would not pay tax anyway, or very little, so where is the benefit for them? They will see greater hardship as a result of GST. Does P&R not know or care that some pensioners’ purses are empty at the end of the week and any further increase such as GST will force them to prioritise their spending. Some I know already have to decide whether they can afford to insure and maintain their property for which they have worked hard. They have to delay going to the doctor, optician or dentist. We all know this past 12 months has seen a huge increase in the price of food and energy and general cost of living.
So perhaps some person from P&R, in fact any deputy who is thinking of voting for GST, can tell pensioners what use this 15% income tax rate will be to us if GST goes through. Perhaps in this restructure pensioners have been forgotten.
We all know this island is extremely expensive to live in and to visit – this will only make things worse.
We are already losing young people because of the high cost of living in Guernsey and these are the ones the island needs to keep. No matter what their profession, they are all essential workers as everybody contributes to the running of the island no matter what their employment. Youngsters have little chance of buying property and if GST is going to be on property purchase, conveyance and estate agents fees, then we can really say goodbye to our future workforce.
P&R has not really stated what will be included and what left out of GST. All I’ve heard is that it will be on everything, but perhaps not on food. If that is the case, when we depart this planet our descendants will have to pay GST to bury us. Bang goes the nice headstone.
We eagerly await an explanation.
rod@brehaut.gg