Strategic Economic Plan
Release date: 24/07/2007
Guernsey’s Business Community welcomes the publication of the Strategic Economic Plan and is urging Deputies to adopt it at the July States Meeting.
“We are very pleased to see this initiative from the States and a cohesive strategy for the next 5 years” said Shelagh Mason, Chairman of Guernsey Branch of the IOD. “This is one of the first times our States has put in place a plan which will span a change in the house and seek to deliver long term objectives and recognises the nettle that has to be grasped to deliver prosperity”
The Plan looks at a number of strategies for achieving the overall objectives, many of which have been the subject of much debate.
Business is keen to interact with the States and assist not only in delivering the objectives but in the wider issues of educating Guernsey on how these Strategies will deliver better business and a standard of living for the Guernsey community that can be maintained.
Philip Duquemin of CGI said “The Strategic Economic Plan is the basis of sound business management operated by successful entities and a Plan should be dynamic in nature and react to changing conditions over a five to ten year period. We are very pleased to support it”.
The Chamber of Commerce is also urging States Deputies to adopt the initiative and undertake to deliver this important strategy for the Island. “It is essential that the States are not swayed by the 2008 Election into abandoning a strategy so critical to our future” Mark Trenchard, President of Chamber of Commerce said “Our Business Trends Survey highlighted the importance of tax, regulation and population as the 3 major concerns in delivering prosperity and we are pleased to see these as major threads in the Strategic Economic Plan”
The Finance Industry, the biggest business sector in our economy is also firmly behind the Plan and GIBA is joining the other business organisations in spreading the message that Guernsey needs to be very much open for business.
GIBA Chairman, Steve Le Page added “the business community is fully aware of the pressure and responsibility on their members to work for growth in order to avoid additional taxes which will negatively impact their businesses and individuals in the community as well as the social infrastructure that taxes support. We are therefore very pleased that the government realise that support to the business community is essential in order to stimulate this growth”.