From David Cummins.
IT has been suggested in the States’ Business Plan that the Hospital heating be turned down and milk for babies be cancelled as a trade off to save a small amount of money.
 
Senator Le Sueur should be looking at different areas to save any meaningful amount, such as the removal of the taxpayers’ subsidy on the States civil service pension fund.

This was originally given as part of the wage structure due to low wage levels in the service, but their wage levels have now caught up with the private sector and beyond.

I would suggest phasing out the taxpayers’ subsidy and let the beneficiaries pay for their own pensions.

If left as it is, the black hole deficit, already at hundreds of millions, will become unmanageable, requiring perhaps the whole of the rainy day fund and more to clear the deficit, or we will face much higher taxes in the near future.

It would seem that successive governments, over a long period, have been passing the problem on to future generations,  hoping that they will solve the problem.

Clearly we will face industrial action as stated in your article of 27 July, but it is time to face this threat now, rather than let the deficit grow.