Jersey food and fuel tax 'should be cut'

A Jersey senator has said he will try again to get the goods and services tax taken off food and domestic energy and fuel.

Senator Alan Breckon said new official figures had come to light which showed people were paying double the amount of tax they were a decade ago.

He said company tax had fallen by 40% over the same period.

A similar proposal was brought by Deputy Andrew Green in December but was rejected by 26 to 24 votes.

Senator Breckon said company tax had fallen from 52% in 2000 to 12% in 2011, compared to personal tax which had doubled from 42% in 2000 to an estimated 84% this year.

'Insidious tax'

He said GST should be taken off foodstuffs in line with the UK's VAT arrangements.

He said: "I believe this should tip the balance the other way and rid us of this insidious tax from these most basic and essential items.

"Consumer confidence reached an all time low as the recession bit into people's spending power but Jersey did not respond by helping the ordinary citizen but rather by penalising the individual with crippling income tax rates, impots and of course GST."

"All this when some companies are not making a fair, or any contribution, to the tax take."