5,000 sign GST protest petition
Friday 31st December 2010, 2:58PM GMT.
The 2007 petition was unsuccessful
MORE than 5,000 Islanders have signed a petition calling for the Treasury Minister to be sacked over next year’s GST rise.
The Jersey Democratic Alliance has organised the protest, which is in response to a recent States decision to increase GST from three to five per cent in May next year.
Senator Philip Ozouf has been criticised by the party for breaking an election promise to oppose such an increase and also for the round of cuts he brought to the House this year.
The States effectively ignored a similar petition in 2007, protesting the introduction of GST, which was signed by 19,209 Islanders.
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Waste of time this petition – Le Sueur thinks he owns the island, he has the dictatorship…hitler without the tache!
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I agree with the protest, but won’t sign as the JDA is only out for political point scoring
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Get real & get over it JDA. The decision has been made, now get on with something useful – perhaps try helping THE ISLAND instead of looking for cheap votes.
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What will it take for the general public to be listened to for once?
These stubborn politicians who believe they have the right to impose their will on us had better think again,our day will come!
Not happy with ruining Jersey and its people,they continue regardless of the destruction, with not a thought or care for the very people who put them in power.
Together we can usurp them and get our lives turned around once more for the better.
United we stand,divided we fall!
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No matter what the people think this will go ahead….I am totally against the rise or the introduction of GST in the first place. GST is killing the island we now pay about 25% Tax on our goods (Shipping charge??? as well as GST). Dick Turpin aka Ozouf doesn’t care about the people only his rich cronies…election promise means I want your vote …elected means I dont need you now so I dont care.He is not alone ALL states members are guilty.People need to remember we were tax free and had tourism and farming and guess what …we never paid for parking or had GST (Whats happened to all that cash?). Now with billions invested in the island banking industry ‘money men rule’ Ozouf, Le Sueur, Le Main,Cohen, Walker etc dont come from normal middle class families they come with Silver Spoons attached. Jersey people need to rally behind new thinking (JDA) or elect outside the ‘priveliged’ brigade to have a decent chance of a decent lifestyle in Jersey.
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Shock, Horror!!! 5,000 people would rather pay less tax! There’s a surprise! Now, how many have a credible alternative to offer? Stunning silence, or “spend,spend,spend”. It’s easy to whinge and whine, not so easy to offer constructive alternatives to the very sensible measures Le Sueur, Ozouf et al have put in place.
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I guess the same 5,000 signed who want the town park !
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5,000 signed 90,000 didn’t.
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I’m sure this will go down as the most autographed piece of toilet paper in history, call the Guiness Book of Records.
Total waste of time, wasn’t there more than 3 times this many signitures on the original anti GST petition and look what difference that made.
I accept that we have to tighten our belts and cut back, I just wish the daft buggers running the shop would stop pi**ing money away on useless nice to have’s like the avenue resurface and Town Park.
Methinks the JDA are courting the popular vote, what alternative do they propose?
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In comments above one asks what the Jersey people can do to stand up against this total dictatorship of Government that has now been allowed to run this Island. Well it is a little late to shut the door now the horse has bolted. However if we take stock of the situation, that being, rising taxes, no wage increases, reduction of allowances on income tax, that’s 40% each year until when you earn £20,000 a year YOU WILL pay £4000 tax!, take also GST and the lies about our low figure of inflation!, and we are looking at a future where the middle class earners, that is the real bread winners of Jersey will no longer be able to survive. We will be supporting the Rich who live here so that they pay less tax, supporting the people who don’t want to work so they get more Income support and we the people who have always paid our taxes and social security and sacrificed to send our children to selected schools will be trodden even further into the dirt. It is alright for Messrs Walker, Ozouf and Le Sueur, they are not down to their last Millions, the willl never suffer! They do not know what it is to live in a recession and will never have to be there! So if as a middle class person living in Jersey and sufferring all of the above you want to do something then stand up and be counted. Just imagine that this section of people refuse to pay their taxes this year on the grounds that it is our money that these idiots are wasting and we do have ownership of it! Could we all be put in Jail, don’t think so! Not enough room, although it would be nice to have some of the luxury there! Think of the UK press getting hold of this and perhaps the UK government starting to ask questions as to how a prosperous Island such as ours can treat it’s inhabitants with utter disrespect.Also investigate where the rainy day fund is?? Also why it is not used at the exact correct time to bolster our economy. You see because WE ask the questions we will never get a truthful answer. The dictators don’t listen to us no dictator has ever listened to their people. So folks, up for discussion what should we as the target for shoring up this mess do?
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How true Sean (No.3), Once you have cast your vote, you are cast aside and all promises promtly thrown to the wind!
D Mc S (No.6), the 90,000 who did not sign are those who are too lazy to get up off their lazy butts to do anything except moan and groan at what is happening to them. These are the ones who also do not cast their vote at election time to make a difference in their futures!
The States realise that by ignoring the petitions they are safe as there are only a few who really care and take an interest whereas the rest don’t appear to!
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Brendan…What we really need is a referendum on real Government reform,something we are perfectly entitled to request, the time has come for hands on in touch Government that actually represents the voters..! let’s be rid of these red cloaked dinosaurs…and have real grown up representation that engages the people and matches solutions to reality…all we are allowing here is a rich boys cartel.whose disgusting cravings we read about in the J.E.P. daily …enough it’s got to go…what do we want ..? a referendum…when do we want it….Now
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Zoro, we do have regular referendums, they are called elections
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Well said Brendan. (8)
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Zoro, I agree with you, but you used the word “Request”. This does not work with this government. The only “Request” they accept is something they come up with in the first place, like as States members lets “Request” a pay rise for ourselves,and ” Oh Look we have agreed with our “Request”. No surprise there then!!!! Also Nick yes we do have elections, but the only time they have the power of the “REAL” electing people of Jersey is when we can say right, we elect you 12 useless waste of spaces out!, and we now elect the actual people WE want to be in! 1 in and 1 out is useless! Hopefully this next election we can beat all the grass knees and lickers to the financial industry and finally select people into this government who will for once put the people first and the money grabbing company directors, businessman and bankers last! Thank you Blade for your support! Come on people of Jersey for once let us all stand up and be counted and finally make a proper place where OUR children can grow up as they are fully entitled to! Happy New Year to all!
xx
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New Years Resolution !
get the sack and claim income support= no income tax free transport fuel allowance and a guaranteed pay rise every year!
why didnt i do this years ago instead of working long hours and giving most of my money back to the states to waste on stupid projects.anyone gonna join me in the queue on Wednesday
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I was one of those people who did get off their butt to sign the original petition against introducing GST, as were 20% of the Islands population (according to official statistics). I discovered within weeks that our ‘politicians’ decided to ignore those signatures which didn’t show a full address on the petition. Therefore, the actual signatures obtained probably amounted to a minimum 50% of the population – but who will ever know?
Within the past few years my salary has been diminishing beyond belief!
First we were informed we would lose tax relief on loan and/or credit card interest charges. Next, we lose tax relief on mortgage interest. Then, 20% means 20% was introduced by our now infamous dictator. ITIS became another introduction – as opposed to PAYE (far be it from greedy Jersey to consider the Guernsey approach). GST then became another means of keeping the coffers topped up. 0/10 took the biscuit with established overseas owned buisnesses paying no tax whatsoever.
Amongst all these, the increases made to parking charges and parish rates have also generated a huge amount of additional income. Now there’s talk (which we all know will come to fruition) of increases to Social Security contributions.
Where on earth is all this money going?
I am well aware the Ozoufs and Le Sueurs of Jersey have little (if any) consideration to those people willing and able to make contributions to our shared responsibility pot. The ‘I’m alright Jack’ attitude is now well and truly prevalent!
Personally, I had more so called surplus income ten years ago than I do today and, taking into account the cost of living more or less doubles every ten years, how long before I hear the Viscounts knocking on my door?
I, like many other people, simply want to know penny for penny where our money is going. The Treasury department surely must be made to disclose figures to us.
Why are the States still replacing all their vehicles every year when all car manufacturers give a minimum three year guarantee?
I won’t go on, there simply isn’t enough space!!!
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No. 9.
I like many others refused to sign the petition because I did not aree with its contents. (and I always vote at elections)
No one likes paying more tax, but the sensible majority of Islanders see that raising GST is the least worst alternative.
I personally would like to see GST higher and income tax lower, both at say 12%, and States expenditure better controlled
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5,000, including at least one thirteen year old girl who doesn’t know what GST is. Same thing happened on the last petition – does the JDA have no standards of behaviour whatsoever which their supporters should adhere to?
On the telly the other night, one of the local reporters was on the hunt for shoppers in town who were worried about the GST increase. They couldn’t find a single one. Perhaps they should have found an impressionable thirteen year old girl too.
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Jersey has to get out of the financial mess created by past/present States members and the people of Jersey as usual have to pay for it.
It’s wrong GST is on food several politicians have tried to remove it … just remember at election time which way our States members voted.
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As we are, apparently, all so overweight, shouldn’t GST be increased on prepared food, not reduced?
Fresh vegetables, fruit, fish and meat can all be purchased from small specialist suppliers in the market and farm shops which will not be charging GST. If cakes, biscuits, crisps, fizzy drinks and prepackaged foods were surcharged we should soon see a reduction in waistlines.
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The organisers of this petition might as well as people to write their name in the air with a stick – for all the good this will do.
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Only in Jersey. Didn’t hear of any UK residents signing a VAT petition to stop it rising from 17.5 to 20%.
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People who find themselves up to their waists in quicksand generally fall into two camps. Some will spend their energy berating very loudly those they think led them there, while doing nothing else but steadily sinking… That’s most of the posters here. Then there are those who spend their energy finding the quickest and most effective way to extricate themselves.
I know which I prefer. It’s easy to hurl insults, it’s not so easy to come up with alternatives… i
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