Jersey Praised On GST Implementation

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

20 January 2009

The UK's HM Revenue and Customs has published a review into the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax in Jersey last year, which concludes that the planning and implementation of the new system was managed well.

The Minister for Treasury and Resources, Philip Ozouf said:

“The introduction of GST has been one of the biggest and most complex financial projects ever undertaken in Jersey. I would like to recognise businesses and the GST team for their hard work, especially the officers who made visits to almost every business in the Island. While the introduction of GST was never going to be easy, the review shows that it has been done well.”

“I accept the review’s recommendations and will work with the department to progress them in due course. I note in particular the recommendation that we should not make any changes to GST, including considering further exclusions, for at least two years.”

The report stated that: “overall the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax within the States of Jersey has been successful. We recognized the difficulties involved in the introduction of a new tax and, due to the efforts and commitment of the staff involved, these were largely overcome. This was evidenced especially during our discussions with external businesses, the Chamber of Commerce and the Fiscal Strategy Group who were all appreciative of the Departmental efforts to ensure a smooth launch of the tax.”

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