From Brian Hotton.
ROGER Goodwin’s letter (JEP, 29 December) was headlined ‘Jersey is not so bad’.

Well of course it is not so bad, well not of the face of it. But it all depends where one comes from or where one is comparing it with and what criterion one uses.

He writes ‘Go experience their crime rates; their huge immigration issues … their sky-high VAT and TVA rates compared to your GST’, referring to the UK and France.

Mr Goodwin. ‘a recent arrival’, his words, has not experienced the ‘loutish criminal behaviour’ which is so bad especially at weekends that the Home Affairs Minister believes only a change in the Licensing Laws will curtail such behaviour.

On VAT, TVA and GST, it might interest Mr Goodwin to know that some UK businesses charge VAT at the UK rate plus the three per cent GST already, so when in the UK they are paying 21 per cent or whatever, us in Jersey will no doubt be paying the equivalent of 26 per cent, not forgetting that the cost of living is anything from 20 to 30 per cent higher in Jersey.

As for the UK and France’s ‘huge immigration issues’, both the UK and France have nothing near the relative numbers of immigrants to those born in either country, than Jersey has, ‘53 per cent of those currently living here were born outside the Island’ Comment Column same issue, so we have immigration of 53 per cent.

As for the ‘social survey’ released by the States Statistical Unit I just cannot understand how they reach some of their conclusions. I, for one, have waited many years to receive one of their social survey forms to no avail. I fully understand they are random; however, my friends and I are yet to receive one of these forms.

If they are so ‘random’ how does one know if it is not the same people receiving these forms year on year?

As for the numbers of Portuguese and Polish living in Jersey according to the survey, well I must know nearly every Portuguese/Madeira and Polish national living in Jersey, I am not so sure. Anyway most of the immigrants in Jersey are from the north of the Channel. Maybe Mr Goodwin is from the north of the Channel?

In both the UK and France you do not need to earn £90,000 a year to be able to afford a first time buyer home at circa £450,000 plus, and this most certainly cannot be blamed on the Portuguese/Madeira or Polish immigrants, but can the same be said for those from the north of the Channel?

Please note not all in Jersey are highly paid finance workers, IT specialists or £40,000-plus a year civil servants (and of course not all civil servants are either).

No, Jersey is not so bad, but it could do better, much, much better.