GST: The file they should have built
The States say the data behind the tax package is too sensitive to release, and their own model is too slow to test properly. Both problems have had a standard…
GST: The President’s case, tested
Policy & Resources president Lindsay de Sausmarez opened the tax debate on Wednesday with the fullest statement of the case for the package yet made. It deserves a full answer,…
Six questions the GST debate must answer
Deputy John Gollop says Guernsey needs GST to fund civil service pay, and that he would set the rate higher than the 3% proposed. He deserves credit for candour, and…
Check their sums
The States built a calculator to show us how the tax plan would affect our households. (https://www.gov.gg/taxreform – calculator at https://2026-impact-calc.gov.gg). It does not match their own proposals, and the…
Charging electric cars for the roads they use: a workable scheme for Guernsey
Guernsey faces a problem of ‘fiscal fairness’ that is emotive out of proportion to its size. Every owner of a petrol or diesel car pays into General Revenue on every…
The Reference Trap
When the law punishes candour and rewards silence, the people it claims to protect are the ones who suffer most. Employment references occupy an uncomfortable position in the law. They…
IT projects – the disaster continues
Guernsey squandered £42 million on two IT projects that failed to deliver. Politicians were misled about the true state of the MyGov and Revenue Service programmes, which floundered despite substantial…
States IT Wastage: Warnings Ignored, Millions Lost
The States of Guernsey now concedes that at least £42 million has been squandered on two failed IT projects. Deputy Marc Laine, Policy & Resources’ newly appointed IT adviser, has…
The St Pier Suspension: A Democratic Failure?
An uninvolved deputy spent two and a half hours reading material about this case and asked me to examine it, as well. It was, in their words, ‘chilling to democracy’.…
Can the States deliver real reform in the public sector?
In his recent Guernsey Press Politics Podcast, new States chief executive Boley Smillie spoke of efficiency savings and better IT systems While these operational improvements have their place, Guernsey’s civil…