A collective of estate agents, financiers, motor traders, hire car operators and mortgage advisors met this morning to start planning a campaign which they hope will see 1,000 people protesting against tax rises in the Royal Square on 2 December.They say the States have failed to cut expenditure and that the Budget proposals will hit ordinary people and be another blow for the economy.They are protesting against:The capping of mortgage interest relief.A 25 per cent hike in vehicle registration duty.Increases of up to 15 per cent in duties on alcohol, cigarettes and fuel.The group say that the States cannot justify the increases when public expenditure continues to rise and the Budget includes a 2.5 per cent wage rise for all public-sector workers.
Estate agent Roger Trower said: ‘They are taxing this Island to death.
We want them to stimulate the economy, not stifle it, but that’s what this Budget will do.
It’s always the soft targets that they hit.
They have to get their own house in order first.’With Mr Trower were: Motor Trades Federation spokesman Peter Tabb, Peter Seymour of the Mortgage Shop, Estate Agents Association president Alan Maclean, Hire Car Operators Association president Colin Parry, Arno Chilvers of Premier Asset Management and Paul Collier of Jackson’s Garage.
