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Debate over whether to give carers more money or not reignited suggestions that GST may have to be introduced to cover the increasing cost of all the public services that Guernsey has.
Deputy Simon Vermeulen likened the current problems facing Guernsey, in terms of budget cuts or increased taxation, to a 'permacrisis'.
He said this word, newly added to the Oxford English dictionary, "sums up where we are in the world at the moment", with Brexit, covid, the Ukranian war, rising fuel prices, rising mortgage interest rates, as well as an ageing demographic.
Deputy Vermeulen said these problems are affecting all comparable jurisdictions and that other places are making huge cut backs in health and social care costs to balance their books.
"That's where we're going," he said, "these are the times we're dealing with and what we've got to consider."
Pictured: Deputy Peter Roffey lead the debate on the 2023 benefit rates, which included a proposed uplift in the carers allowance. He voted against higher increases as suggested via an amendment lodged by Deputies Gavin St Pier and Lester Queripel. Deputy Simon Vermeulen also voted against the amendments.
He continued, "I am afraid this States needs to learn that it needs to financially discipline itself. It needs to balance the books, it needs to be responsible.
"We all support carers. We would pay them their weight in gold if we could afford it, but we've got to be sensible, and we've got to bear this in mind as we move forward.
"It might very well be that we have to introduce things that I stood against; cutting costs, growing the economy, but we're also going to have to balance the books and we might have to introduce GST.
"We are in difficult times but it's not just Guernsey, it's everywhere and we should look around."
Deputy Vermeulen and others voted down an attempt to increase the uplift to be paid to carers next year.
The Committee for Employment and Social Security wants to give carers an additional 10%, or just under ten pounds, per week from January.
Deputy Peter Roffey told the States that carers allowance has risen faster than any other benefit over the last five years alone, but also that Guernsey has more lenient criteria for receiving the payments than Jersey, where carers receive a higher allowance.
Deputy Gavin St Pier, supported by Deputy Lester Queripel, tried to push the States into increasing the carers allowance by a higher percentage - either by 25% or 15%.
Pictured: Deputies Gavin St Pier and Lester Queripel tried to increase carers allowances by more than what was proposed. Both their amendments failed to win support in the States.
Deputy St Pier said that the States had committed to improving provision for carers.
"Frankly, the States position is embarrassing, it is a disgrace and it is insulting," he said when referencing the current allowance payment to carers.
Deputy Queripel urged the States to back the proposal to pay carers more than was being offered by praising the work they do.
"...carers here in the island, they make an enormous contribution to our society," he said. "We could not do without them and we're going to need a lot more in the future."
Both amendments, to increase the carers allowance by 25% or by 15% if the first amendment failed, were lost.
The debate on benefit rates for 2023, including the carers allowance is continuing after the States lunch break.
Amendment 1: To increase the 2023 weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance to ‘£114.88’.
Pour: Deputies Simon Fairclough, Adrian Gabriel, Aidan Matthews, Lester Queripel and Gavin St Pier.
Contre: Deputies Al Brouard, Yvonne Burford, Andy Cameron, David De Lisle, Lindsay De Sausmarez, Andrea Dudley-Owen, John Dyke, Steve Falla, Peter Ferbrache, Sam Haskins, Mark Helyar, Neil Inder, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, Chris Le Tissier, David Mahoney, Nick Moakes, Bob Murray, Victoria Oliver, Charles Parkinson, Steve Roberts, Peter Roffey, Alexander Snowdon, Heidi Soulsby, Lyndon Trott, and Simon Vermeulen.
Ne Vote Pas: Deputies Sue Aldwell, Chris Blin, John Gollop, Marc Leadbeater, Carl Meerveld, and Rob Prow.
Absent: Deputies Tina Bury, Jonathan Le Tocq, Liam McKenna, and Andrew Taylor.
Amendment 2: To increase the 2023 weekly rate of Carer's Allowance to '£105.69'.
Pour: Deputies Simon Fairclough, Adrian Gabriel, John Gollop, Aidan Matthews, Rob Prow, Lester Queripel, Steve Roberts, Alexander Snowdon, Heidi Soulsby, Gavin St Pier, and Lyndon Trott.
Contre: Deputies Al Brouard, Yvonne Burford, Andy Cameron, David De Lisle, Lindsay De Sausmarez, Andrea Dudley-Owen, John Dyke, Steve Falla, Peter Ferbrache, Sam Haskins, Mark Helyar, Neil Inder, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, Chris Le Tissier, David Mahoney, Nick Moakes, Bob Murray, Victoria Oliver, Charles Parkinson, Peter Roffey, and Simon Vermeulen.
Ne Vote Pas: Deputies Sue Aldwell, Chris Blin, John Gollop, Marc Leadbeater, Carl Meerveld, and Rob Prow.
Absent: Deputies Tina Bury, Jonathan Le Tocq, Liam McKenna, and Andrew Taylor.
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