Apology after 450 tax letters sent to dead people in Jersey

Sal Minty-Gravett received a letter for her late husband Peter

A widow said a letter sent to her dead husband outlining proposed changes to Jersey's tax system was "thoughtless".

Sal Minty-Gravett described it as "very odd and insensitive" after losing her husband a month ago.

The States of Jersey said 450 letters had been sent to deceased islanders after addresses were not "sufficiently cross-checked".

Deputy Susie Pinel said she apologised "unreservedly" for the distress caused.

The letter, signed by the Treasury minister, explains how proposed changes to the income tax system could be implemented as early as this year.

It would see islanders pay based on their current yearly earnings, rather than those of the previous year.

A letter sent to a St Saviour resident was addressed to "The Late Mildred"

Mrs Minty-Gravett said she was "annoyed more than upset".

"I don't know why it wasn't just addressed to me," she added. "I do have a name too."

The letters also address recipients by their first name and invite them to provide feedback on the changes.

One letter sent to a St Saviour resident was addressed to "The Late Mildred".

The Constable of St Saviour Sadie Le Sueur-Rennard described it as "disgusting" and said some of her parishioners had been "very upset".

Deputy Pinel said: "I'd like firstly to apologise unreservedly to islanders who were distressed by receiving letters addressed to their deceased relatives, and to also apologise to islanders who were upset by the use of their first names, as I would be myself.

"When we send out letters to islanders, we rely on a database of information to ensure that letters are sent to the correct people.

"In this instance, the names and addresses that were taken from the database were not sufficiently cross-checked."