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Former Bailiff is likely to lead reform programme

Monday 9th January 2012, 2:56PM GMT.

Senator Sir Philip Bailhache

WEEKS after calling for a drastic reduction in the number of States Members, Senatorial poll-topper Sir Philip Bailhache seems poised to lead the States reform campaign.

The former Bailiff has confirmed that he wants to chair the Electoral Commission, and says that work needs to start soon to get the work done in time for the 2014 election.

After the Privileges and Procedures Committee agreed last week to change the rules to allow politicians to sit on the body, Senator Bailhache appears likely to get the job of leading it.

He topped the Senatorial poll on an election platform based on States reform in which he advocated axing some Members’ seats, and is the preferred nominee of Chief Minister Ian Gorst.

Asked whether his established views would stop an open discussion of the reform options, Senator Bailhache said: ‘I do not think so. I have expressed provisional views about what the solution might be but I think most intelligent people in the Island have expressed views about the reform of the States over the years.

 Deputy Montfort Tadier

January 9, 2012 at 6:29 pm

From Deputy Montfort Tadier, Vice Chairman of PPC

These comments are my own, and do not represent the view of the Committee as a whole:

I am a member of PPC and I certainly do not endorse this.

 I outlined my position very clearly in my manifesto, in the States and more recently to the committee that the Commission should remain Independent, as agreed by the States last year.

 This was supported by Deputy Judy Martinl. It is nothing personal, but NO States member should be leading the review, let alone those who have expressed clear views about their desired make up of the future States.

Sir PB’s position is one of regress, not progress, making the ultra conservation voice in the States, entrenching the disproportional power of the Constables further.

 If he is allowed to chair the commission (which the States has already agreed should NOT include states members on it) there will certainly be a battle of attrition.

 On the plus side, it will no doubt speed the formation of party politics in the island.

If Sir Philip were not a politician, then fine, he would have a valid claim to chair the commission, but when he became a States Member, with clearly stated intentions for the future of States reform, he must abide by the decision of the commission.

Title - Who is paying for Jersey to be a tax haven?

 
From - Tax Research UK, Director Richard Murphy.

 
Live Link - www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2011/11/07/who-is-paying-for-jersey-to-be-a-tax-haven/ 
 
 

Date:-  16/10/2011
 
Title:-          The Inner Dimension of Politics.
 
By:- Tony the Prof.
 
Live Link:-     http://tonymusings.blogspot.com/2011/10/inner-dimension-of-politics.html 
 
 

Are You, enjoying ‘ The Party’? 

They say there are no Political Parties, in Jersey - They’re right, there’s only one!

It is sometimes referred to as, ‘The Clique, The Establishment, The Black and

White, The Covert, or most recently, The Invisible Party!’ This secret Party, has

controlled Jersey for over 50 years! Now due to a growing number of people who

are willing to challenge it, It’s in decline! This hidden Party, have tended to do

things in two ways; 1) in secret and 2) for themselves! They are mainly comprised

of frightened and weak willed, wealthy old men and are led by not so old,

ambitious Neo-Liberals! 

In these elections as in the past, they are secretly promoting and helping dozens of

their supporters who are disguised as independent candidates! This underhanded

way of getting their candidates into The States, is hijacking our democracy by

guile! 

I believe this serves to subvert the new laws that control Political Parties and it

fundamentally undermines the legitimacy of this islands Government! This small,

but powerful group of islanders, also secretly take great delight in uncontested

elections. This coupled with the fact that so many of us don’t bother to vote means

they can get their candidates elected and get away with whatever they want! Most

of their supporters will sacrifice principle for position!

All of this must stop ..............and it must stop............. Right now! 

Its time, if you did not know already, that this party is real and it is time you knew

them, for what they are and what they stand for- A secret group of people who

want control of our island and the £600M annual budget, collected from Your

Taxes! 

We must be brave and stand up against them for they are powerful still but we can

take heart in the knowledge that the tide has turned. Their time has been and is

gone. We must forever guard against their return! 

Let us take it upon ourselves, from this day forwards to educate ourselves in

politics and participate in choosing who governs us and how! 

Let us teach our children these things also! If we can find no reason to do this for

our own lives............. Then we surely must find a reason to do so, for our children’s

lives and their children’s too! 

It’s Your Voice - It’s Your Choice - It’s Your Future!.............. Thank You! 

Deputy Paul Le Claire 

 (‘The Greatest trick the Devil ever played on the world was convincing it, that he doesn’t exist.)
 

Letter to the Editor of the Jersey Evening Post 19.9.2001


The long-term future of all Islanders is precisely what motivates us.

Just for the record on the subject of the Zero-Ten Tax Policy. In the final
paragraph of your editorial (Wednesday 14th September) you describe Zero-
Ten's opponents - "few of whom appear to have the Island's best interests
at heart". What nonsense! It is precisely the long-term future of all Islanders
that has motivated many opponents.

Clarity is essential here. Europe was not happy with an unfair system where
local businesses paid tax and other businesses did not. Now this particular
aspect of taxation has been harmonised and so the EU seems happier. What
opponents of the Zero-Ten Tax Policy say is that as a consequence of Zero-Ten
a Goods and Services Tax is being imposed on the Island population to fill the
coffers. The people must pay. Business need not. This is where the unfairness
lies. The EU is not concerned about how this money is raised; internal policy is
not their worry. That is for the States of Jersey to decide.

And what are the long-term interests of Islanders? I would point to the obvious -
a variety of jobs from which to choose, fair pay, fair rents or a house to live in that
doesn't cost the earth, time to relax and laugh, not just putting forward our points
of view but being seriously heard and so participate in the democratic process.
As one Jersey lady once told me - we have free speech but nobody is listening.
Could she be right?

Jean Andersson
Secretary
Jersey Attac

Letter to the Editor of the Jersey Evening Post. 19.9.2001


Opposers have been vindicated on zero-ten policy.

Dear Sir,

Your editorial “Vindication for zero-ten tax policy”( 14th September) is remarkable for
the extra-ordinary amount of misinformation contained in it.

Your editorial writer simply failed to explain that the zero-ten policy just approved by
the European Union is not the zero-ten policy which they declared was against their
Code of Conduct.

It was the original zero-ten plan that I and others claimed over the years would not
be accepted by Europe. And we were right.

Back in 2002, Europe told Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man that the zero-
10 proposal presented to them did comply with their Corporate Taxation Code of
Conduct.

When Europe later declared that it was not happy with the original zero ten
proposals, Jersey authorities made the excuse that “Europe changed its mind,
having first approved it and then disapproved it”. That line was also peddled by the
then Bailiff of Jersey, Sir Philip Bailhache, in one of his many forays into the political
arena.

Senator Le Sueur later let the cat out of the bag when he admitted that only the
bare bones of the proposal was put forward to Europe, it did not include the “deemed
dividend section” and it was only an “in principle agreement awaiting further detail”

When Europe saw the “deemed dividend section” it considered this and declared
that it breached their Code of Conduct and was unfair and discriminatory.

Which is what I and others had been saying for several years and been condemned
for doing so by the Le Sueur/Ozouf group of politicians who claimed hat we did not
know what we were talking about.

Having put Jersey’s finance industry into a position of great uncertainty for over a
year, with the subsequent loss of business, the politicians responsible for this fiasco
realised that the only way out of their difficulty was to alter the deemed distribution
section so that shareholders in Jersey companies would be treated in the same way
as foreign based companies trading in Jersey where shareholders pay no tax on
their profits until they were distributed.

Therefore, to suggest that those who supported zero-ten have been vindicated and
that those who opposed it now have “egg on their face” is totally wrong. We are the

ones who were vindicated by the first European decision...

What your editorial also failed to recognise is that this change to zero-ten is now
going to create enormous opportunities for tax evasion by local shareholders.

It now means that if an individual in a Jersey company builds up a substantial sum of
profits over a number of years and then decides that he no longer wishes to run his
business and sells it he gets all his profits tax free because there is no capital gains
tax in Jersey.

The Chief Minister has already announced that this new version for zero-ten will lead
to a loss of at least £10 million in revenue to add to our fiscal problems. How is this
to be recovered? Another rise in GST?

To suggest that anyone involved in this fiasco that has cost Jersey over £110million
in lost revenue deserves any praise or credit is an absolute travesty and another
excursion into cloud cuckoo-land.

Ted Vibert.

FROM: WANTED IN EUROPE

JERSEY NEWS

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Economy: Jersey to act on vulture funds

Tuesday, July 5th 2011

An official inquiry has been launched into Jersey’s role in forcing third world countries to pay millions of pounds in crippling debt.

Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur has revealed that senior law officers, top-ranking civil servants and finance experts have met to look at whether so-called vulture funds should be allowed to use Jersey courts to chase debts.

The funds buy up the debts of developing countries for a fraction of the amount owed and then aggressively pursue the debtors though the courts to recover as much as possible. Some of the debts date back to the 1980s, with nations having already paid back the original figure borrowed several times over.

In the past few weeks pressure has been mounting in Jersey to review the actions of the Royal Court after the UK clamped down on vulture funds.

Campaigners from the UK lobby group, Jubilee Debt Campaign, are now calling on supporters to write to the States demanding action.

In Jersey the issue is being championed by Deputy Daniel Wimberley, who is concerned about a serious risk of major damage to the reputation of the finance industry if the Royal Court is used in this way. He said that the whole thing was ’obscene’.

Wimberley's comments follow a judgment in which the Royal Court found in favour of FG Hemisphere and ordered that the Democratic Republic of Congo pay a debt of $110m. The case is now in the appeal courts, and judgment is expected later this month.

A statement released by the Chief Minister’s department said that the government was aware that the UK wanted to stop vulture funds extracting "harsh and inequitable payments from poor countries for debts that have, in many cases, been bought for a fraction of the cost."

The UK has made permanent a temporary law enacted last year which limited the amount a fund could claw back. The Chief Minister’s statement said that Jersey had been waiting to see what action the UK took before deciding what to do. The Jersey working party hoped soon to submit proposals for consultation.

link:

http://www.wantedineurope.com/content/news/news.php?id_n=8229#.TkwQ1TQaB3A.gmail