However, Senator Ozouf’s pledge goes further than this. He has also said that maximum pressure will be exerted on States departments to encourage them to cut costs and make savings wherever possible.
These two promises are, of course, complementary. If sufficient funds are to be available to realise government’s plans and to deliver acceptable levels of public services, cuts are the only way forward if increased taxation is to be avoided at all costs.
But prudent as the Senator’s chosen agenda undoubtedly is, it is nevertheless a bold one. He has, in effect, set himself a task which his recent predecessors failed to master.
It is true that considerable efforts have been made to control public spending in recent years, but many believe that, to date, the results have been very limited. In addition, we have just experienced an era in which increased taxation – in the form of GST and 20 means 20 income tax reform – was the dominant trend.
There can be little doubt that the new determination not to add to the public’s tax burden will be welcomed. Equally, it is reasonably clear that there is still a substantial appetite among rank and file Islanders for more cutbacks in public spending. It is therefore a safe bet that Senator Ozouf will enjoy – as well as deserve – widespread popular support.
That said, if he is to succeed in his aims he must also have the backing and the assistance of his ministerial colleagues and, preferably, all other States Members. There will always be a tendency for those in political charge of complex departments to fight their corners with determination and even obstinacy when it comes to haggling over the division of scarce resources.
Now, perhaps more than ever before in the post-war history of the Island, it is time for all our political representatives to look first at the big picture and only afterwards at the needs of their special areas of responsibility. There will ultimately be little point in having, for example, social services or the police force funded up to the hilt if the Island as a whole is sliding towards bankruptcy.
