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Jersey’s political leaders have once again threatened to take the island towards independance if the UK government continues to act in ways that they see as detrimental to Jersey’s population.
This comes after much coverage in the UK press about the HMRC’s crackdown on offshore methods to avoid tax for wealthy Britons.
Comedian Jimmy Carr apologised for his use of the Jersey based K2 Scheme said to be sheltering almost £200m from the UK Treasury.
The use of offshore tax sheltering schemes have risen in recent years as expats and UK based individuals seek to lower their tax liabilities. The UK authorities have raised taxes on the wealthy in attempts to deal with Britain’s burdensome deficit and national debt with increased top tax rates one such measure.
In an interview with The Guardian Jersey assistant chief minister Sir Philip Bailhache said: “I feel that we get a raw deal. I feel it's not fair … I think that the duty of Jersey politicians now is to try to explain what the island is doing and not to take things lying down.
“The island should be prepared to stand up for itself and should be ready to become independent if it were necessary in Jersey's interest to do so.”
