:00:00. > 3:59:59European Union, that is certainly not shared the further east you go
:00:00. > :00:13.into Good evening.
:00:14. > :00:19.A goods and services tax cotld be introduced in Guernsey in fhve
:00:20. > :00:22.years' time. A confidential document's been leaked to the media
:00:23. > :00:24.highlighting ideas to tackld the island's deficit. It suggests
:00:25. > :00:28.Treasury and Resources should look at the implications of introducing a
:00:29. > :00:32.consumption tax by 2019, but as Mike Wilkins reports not everyond is in
:00:33. > :00:35.favour. GST, VAT, sales tax, whatevdr you
:00:36. > :00:38.want to call it ` Guernsey doesn't have one but the government is
:00:39. > :00:41.considering introducing it. This wasn't supposed to be public
:00:42. > :00:44.knowledge but a confidential Policy Council report has been leaked to
:00:45. > :00:46.the media, something the Chhef Minister Peter Harwood has described
:00:47. > :00:53.as disappointing, counter` productive and not helpful for good
:00:54. > :01:01.governance. Say no to GST! Say no to GST!
:01:02. > :01:06.GST was introduced in Jersex almost six years ago amid protests that
:01:07. > :01:09.ultimately failed. We managed 16,000 signatures on our
:01:10. > :01:11.petition. Perhaps, if they lanaged 60,000 signatures on their petition,
:01:12. > :01:16.their ministers would actually pay some attention and not introduce it
:01:17. > :01:21.` unlike ours. So, if there's so much resistance to
:01:22. > :01:23.a goods and services tax, why is the government considering it? Well
:01:24. > :01:27.it's concerned the present tax system is too reliant on direct tax,
:01:28. > :01:29.such as income tax and soci`l security contributions. Therefore,
:01:30. > :01:32.states revenues are very exposed to the health of the jobs markdt. This,
:01:33. > :01:36.coupled with an ageing population and less people paying incole tax,
:01:37. > :01:44.means the government could see their revenues drop significantly. Some
:01:45. > :01:50.high street retailers are fhercely opposed to any GST.
:01:51. > :01:54.You are chipping away again at any form of profit that the ret`ilers
:01:55. > :02:01.make. Rents are going up all the time. This is just another `dded
:02:02. > :02:04.burden. However, there are some in the
:02:05. > :02:08.business community who feel something does need to be done to
:02:09. > :02:11.balance the books ` but whatever it is, it needs to happen quickly.
:02:12. > :02:15.Yeah, I think there's a bit of politics here. There is a c`se of
:02:16. > :02:19.putting it out there when everyone is dead set against it. Those that
:02:20. > :02:22.are against it should at le`st come up with an alternative. I think
:02:23. > :02:26.that's partly why they're s`ying, do it for five years. They do need to
:02:27. > :02:30.take steps to try and protect those who will be adversely affected by
:02:31. > :02:34.it, but I'm not sure it takds five years to get to that point. I think
:02:35. > :02:37.the shame of this is that wd're putting something off. I can
:02:38. > :02:40.understand the political re`sons for putting it off, but it would be much
:02:41. > :02:44.better if they reached a decision quicker, whatever that might be and
:02:45. > :02:48.just get on with it. GST is not guaranteed ` no decisions
:02:49. > :02:53.have been taken yet, and a report will be put before the Statds in the
:02:54. > :02:57.summer. Well, one of the Ministers who has
:02:58. > :03:00.been heavily involved in discussions about the future role GST could play
:03:01. > :03:03.is Deputy Allister Langlois ` Guernsey's social security linister.
:03:04. > :03:07.I asked him how likely it w`s that the tax would be brought in.
:03:08. > :03:10.We have had to look at all the options. If we didn't look `t every
:03:11. > :03:16.possibility in a review likd this, we would be criticised. A broad`base
:03:17. > :03:27.consumption tax has been mentioned, and will almost certainly form part
:03:28. > :03:30.of the report. Fresh allegations about conduct by
:03:31. > :03:33.some staff members at Jersex's La Moye Prison are to be investigated
:03:34. > :03:36.by the Home Affairs Minister. The allegations were sent in an
:03:37. > :03:39.anonymous e`mail to Senator Ian Le Marquand, as well as certain states
:03:40. > :03:41.members and the media. William Bailhache will be Jdrsey's
:03:42. > :03:45.next bailiff. Currently deptty bailiff, he will take over from Sir
:03:46. > :03:47.Michael Birt when he retires next year. William Bailhache's
:03:48. > :03:50.appointment follows in family footsteps ` brother Sir Philip
:03:51. > :03:52.Bailhache also served as bahliff. Jersey's Field Squadron is to begin
:03:53. > :03:57.recruiting army reservists hn Guernsey for the first time. Next
:03:58. > :04:00.week will see the start of ` drive to encourage islanders to shgn up,
:04:01. > :04:03.as the British Army seeks to boost numbers of reservists. The Jersey
:04:04. > :04:07.Field Squadron is the only @rmy Reserve Unit in the Channel Islands.
:04:08. > :04:10.Voters in two St Helier districts in Jersey will go to the polls tomorrow
:04:11. > :04:14.to elect two new deputies. Five candidates are standing for the seat
:04:15. > :04:17.made vacant by Trevor Pitman in St Helier number one, and four for
:04:18. > :04:20.Shona Pitman's seat in St Hdlier number two. We'll have the latest on
:04:21. > :04:26.BBC Channel Islands tomorrow night at 6.30 pm and 10.25 pm herd on BBC
:04:27. > :04:29.One. Major repairs will be needed to one
:04:30. > :04:33.of Guernsey's sea walls, after extensive damaged caused by the high
:04:34. > :04:37.tides and strong winds. A l`rge hole appeared in the Vazon sea w`ll this
:04:38. > :04:40.morning. States engineers h`ve been examining the site, today, `nd
:04:41. > :04:44.trying to put in place temporary fix. Penny Elderfield reports.
:04:45. > :04:51.Assessing the damage, and one gigantic hole in one of Guernsey's
:04:52. > :04:54.main sea defences. It goes to show that nature is the overall
:04:55. > :05:00.conqueror. It's something we will alwaxs
:05:01. > :05:03.struggle against. When they told a bit of the Vazon
:05:04. > :05:07.sea wall had collapsed, I dhdn't expect to come down and see
:05:08. > :05:10.something like that. That is quite impressive. It's about 30 foot wide,
:05:11. > :05:14.22 foot high ` you could easily fit a Guernsey bus through it.
:05:15. > :05:18.And it took other people here by surprise, too.
:05:19. > :05:21.It's a bit of a shock. To sde a big hole like that in the wall ` I've
:05:22. > :05:25.never seen that before. It's such a massive hole. Obviously,
:05:26. > :05:27.it's quite good for the surfers I suppose.
:05:28. > :05:37.There's a silver lining to dvery cloud, I guess. Work started
:05:38. > :05:41.straightaway to try and infhll the hole, in the hope that come the next
:05:42. > :05:44.high tide it stands put. But whether it will is another question.
:05:45. > :05:50.It's going to have to. If it doesn't, we start again in the
:05:51. > :05:54.morning. It's got to. The storms have already takdn a toll
:05:55. > :05:57.on the island's sea defences ` with Environment saying its budgdt is
:05:58. > :06:00.rapidly running out. But thd money for a permanent fix here will have
:06:01. > :06:03.to be found. An unforeseen incident has occurred.
:06:04. > :06:07.It will be costed, and the loney will come out of budget resdrve once
:06:08. > :06:10.an application is put in to T There'll be a lot of fingers crossed
:06:11. > :06:13.that the temporary fix works tonight. But it does highlight the
:06:14. > :06:17.vulnerability of Guernsey's coastal defences ` and the need for Guernsey
:06:18. > :06:26.States to look long term at whether they're up to the job.
:06:27. > :06:38.Let's look at the weather. Hello, good evening. We might get some
:06:39. > :06:42.sunshine tomorrow, which wotld make a change. Higher temperaturds and
:06:43. > :06:47.light winds cash it might even feel like spring. Just enough cloud
:06:48. > :06:51.around to give us a spot of drizzle. That will move awax
:06:52. > :06:57.tonight, and with clearing skies it will also turn quite chilly. Inland,
:06:58. > :07:06.we might get down as cold as three or four . Tomorrow, a chillx start.
:07:07. > :07:14.For most of us, it's plenty of sunshine. 11 degrees is the top
:07:15. > :07:17.temperature. Wind direction changing during the day, becoming
:07:18. > :07:23.southeasterly. On Wednesday, it stays predominantly dry. A bit misty
:07:24. > :07:28.in places. Similar conditions on Friday. Fine weather can stomach
:07:29. > :07:32.returns on Saturday. That's all from me. Here's the summary.
:07:33. > :07:34.will stay miles into the weekend. And with more on that, here is the
:07:35. > :07:42.National forecast. Good evening. The skies across
:07:43. > :07:46.England and Wales are clearing. It will turn cold once again. A
:07:47. > :07:54.different story for Scotland and Northern Ireland. But ahead of that,
:07:55. > :07:57.the skies are clearing for England and Wales. It will turn cold, so we
:07:58. > :08:04.will start tomorrow with a frost and will also be some fog around. The
:08:05. > :08:10.frost will set in, getting down to three below in rural spots. It is
:08:11. > :08:15.not until the latter part of the night where we will see the fog
:08:16. > :08:16.thickening up. All while, the wind is increasing. And