Senator Stuart Syvret made his comments while trying to persuade the States to exempt basic necessities like food, medicine and child care from the 3% goods and services tax when it starts in 2008.
A result is expected later today.
Senator Syvret told the Assembly: ‘Jersey is a fantastically wealthy community with a yawning chasm between the haves and have-nots.
We should be sharing.
‘The idea that we would protect poor people from GST with Income Support is effectively “”tax the poor to pay the poor””.
If approved, Senator Syvret’s amendment would exempt basic foodstuffs, medical services and products, education fees, child care costs, life insurance policies, books and newspapers, children’s clothing and domestic fuel and energy from the sales tax.
