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Strong support for GST at BBC Guernsey's southern roadshow

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Strong support for GST at BBC Guernsey's southern roadshow
John Fernandez

BBC Guernsey political reporter

BBC A man with white hair and glasses, wearing a blue and white checked shirt. On the left of the picture is the Your Voice, Your Vote logo. BBC

Godfray Guilbert said the biggest election issue for him was balancing the books
A lady with grey hair and glasses. She's wearing a blue ribbed gillet.

On a visit to the shops, Gill Freeman said States finances need fixing but through a rise income tax rather than GST

The roadshow on the state of the island’s finances was held in Forest on Friday.

Gill Freeman was among people to attend and said her top election issue was balancing the books.

She said she preferred the idea of an increase to the rate of income tax, which the States rejected in favour of GST last year.

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She said: “GST is unfair as it gets the lowest paid.”

The agreed States policy, according to the treasury, is to mitigate against the regressive impact of a GST through the lower rate of income tax.

Two men arguing behind a branded purple BBC Radio Guernsey microphone. On the left is Lord Digby Jones, he has white shoulder length hair and a yellow shirt and on the right is Deputy Andy Taylor, he's wearing a blue Guernsey and glasses and has spiky blonde hair and a beard.

Lord Digby Jones and outgoing deputy Andy Taylor clashed over the island’s system of government

‘Necessary evil’

Former UK Business Minister Lord Digby Jones said he wanted the next States to “have a sense of urgency” when it came to tackling the island’s public finances.

He said: “We need to follow through with GST+, as that is urgent, otherwise we are just going to run out of money.

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“That’s not nice to have. It’s a must and we need to big time sort out the dosh.”

Outgoing politician, Deputy Andy Taylor agreed: “This government needs to drum home the actual situation we are in, the financial difficulties in the future.

“If we don’t tackle those we are absolute scuppered.”

On the way to pick up her friend at the airport, Sandra Poulding agreed GST was a “necessary evil” for the island.

Deputy Bopb Murray wearing a blue hat and black sunglasses and smiling into the camera. He has long ginger hair and a ginger and grey beard.

Deputy Bob Murray is leaving the States after one term in office

Another States member, who is leaving government at the end of this term, Deputy Bob Murray, came to visit the roadshow on the way to grab some Guernsey biscuits.

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He expressed his exasperation at the current States and said he was concerned incoming candidates would fail to grasp how big an issue the future of the island’s finances was.

He said: “The island has still not grasped the nettle in terms of the challenges we face, and I think we will have to wait for something like a car crash situation to have people wake up to the problems the island has.

“Hopefully GST will be introduced, it is a major way we can start to address the deficit in public finances. The other crown dependencies won’t deal with us on corporate tax reform until we bring in a GST, why would they?”

A number of general election candidates have promised to reform the island’s corporate income tax system, if they are elected.

While others have suggested a mix of income from corporate tax reform and a new wind farm off the coast of Guernsey would be enough to stop the need for a GST.

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A man with grey whispy hair looking at the camera. He's wearing a t shirt that is blue and has the words Classic Flowers embroidered on it.

For Paul Domaille the only issue on the ballot paper is the electoral system itself

Island wide voting ‘not working’

Outside Forest Stores, people weren’t just talking tax, as several voters expressed their frustration with the current electoral system.

As she got some meat for her dog from the shops, Liz stopped by and said the States should go back to the parish system of electing deputies.

She said: “This election is too much, this way of electing is not good for our community.

“People’s days are full, they have children to go home and look after, they don’t have time to go through 82 manifestos.”

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Paul Domaille said his top priority at this election was supporting candidates who would reform the voting system: “I don’t think island wide voting is working.”

A lady with brown hair looking at the camera. She's wearing a white hoodie with a drawstring.

Former deputy Gloria Dudley-Owen said she wants to see housing for local people prioritised by candidates

Population concerns

Former Deputy for the west, Gloria Dudley-Owen, said she’s been “disappointed” with the election campaign so far.

She said: “There are some candidates definitely lacking in knowledge about the issues.”

In the past Mrs Dudley-Owen has campaigned to tighten the island’s population laws and said high levels of net migration to the island were a concern that candidates needed to take seriously.

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She said: “I think it’s quite tragic what is happening with our population, we seem to have a bias against helping the Guernsey population.

“Net migration was high last year, we do need workers but I feel our people, our local people are being neglected in their needs when it comes to housing.”

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Finance

Newly appointed director of finance for Halifax County has now resigned

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Newly appointed director of finance for Halifax County has now resigned

The newly appointed director of finance for Halifax County has now resigned from the post, citing comments that she believes are questioning her integrity.

On Monday, supervisors named the school system’s finance director, Dr. Karen Bucklew, to also serve as the county’s interim finance director.

RELATED: Halifax County Schools finance director to assist county as interim finance director

In her resignation letter, Bucklew cites public comments from members of the board and to the media regarding whether serving both entities is a conflict of interest.

The letter lays out her professional and ethical standards, and said the comments have eroded the professional working environment, so she will remain as the school’s finance director only.

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Bluespring adds $2.3bn in assets with SHP Financial purchase  

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Bluespring adds .3bn in assets with SHP Financial purchase  

Bluespring Wealth Partners has purchased SHP Financial, a firm based in Massachusetts that manages about $2.3bn in assets for mass-affluent and high-net-worth clients.  

Financial specifics of the deal remain undisclosed.  

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SHP Financial was established in 2003 by Derek L. Gregoire, Matthew C. Peck, and Keith W. Ellis Jr., who began their financial careers together in the insurance sector. 

The company employs around 50 staff across three offices in Plymouth, Woburn, and Hyannis. Its team includes seven advisers and 18 other financial services professionals. 

The firm is known for providing fiduciary advice and offers services such as its SHP Retirement Road Map, aimed at making retirement planning more accessible to clients. 

Peck said: “We are deeply protective of the culture we’ve built over the last two decades and were intentional about choosing a partner we felt could help us fuel SHP’s next stage of growth while helping us remain true to our goals. 

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“And we found that partner in Bluespring. We believe Bluespring can provide the resources and support needed to grow and invest in our team, while preserving the client experience that defines SHP.” 

In 2025, Bluespring added over $6bn in assets under management to its business. 

Bluespring president Pradeep Jayaraman commented: “SHP is a team that has already built meaningful scale and is still hungry to grow. That’s what makes this an acceleration story, as opposed to a transition story.  

“SHP’s founders are seasoned leaders in the prime of their careers, still deeply engaged in their business, with decades of success yet ahead.  

Last month, Bluespring added Coghill Investment Strategies, managing around $600m in assets, to its network. 

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Finance

Oregon Democrats’ campaign finance proposal would establish spending limits, push back other provisions

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Oregon Democrats’ campaign finance proposal would establish spending limits, push back other provisions

The Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore. on Monday, Feb 2, 2026.

Saskia Hatvany / OPB

State leaders are trying to stand up a law to massively overhaul Oregon’s campaign finance system.

Now, two years after the original bill’s passage, a new proposal would limit political contributions before the next general election as planned, but give the Secretary of State more time to launch a required system to track spending.

An amended bill, unveiled Monday evening, is shining a spotlight on the divide between the politically powerful labor and business groups who support it and good government advocates who are accusing state leaders of trying to skirt the intent of the original legislation.

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House Bill 4018, which saw its first public hearing Tuesday morning, comes as state officials seek to prop up the campaign finance bill passed in 2024. Since then, state leaders have been jockeying over how best to quickly set up the bill for Oregon’s elections. For years, the state has not capped political giving.

State elections officials have warned repeatedly that the legislation from 2024 was flawed and that Oregon was barreling toward a failed implementation. The Oregon Secretary of State says it needs far more money — potentially $25 million — to keep things on schedule.

In addition to a dizzying array of technical changes, the new bill gives the state more time to create an online system to better monitor and track political spending and giving. It would move the start date from 2028 to 2032.

The bill maintains the original plan of capping political donations by businesses, political committees, interest groups, labor unions and other citizens by 2027.

“If our goal is to strengthen trust in democracy, we cannot afford a rollout that undermines confidence in government’s ability to deliver,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said in testimony supporting the bill on Tuesday.

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“Oregonians deserve campaign finance reform that works, not just on paper, but in practice,” said Read. “They deserve a system that ends unlimited contributions. HB 4018 is a step closer to achieving that goal by preserving the key contribution limits promised to Oregonians while providing a realistic runway for the state to resolve the more complex reporting and transparency issues.”

Rep. Julie Fahey (D-Eugene), right,  and Rep. Lucetta (R-McMinnville) attend a legislative preview for the press on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 in Salem, Ore.

Rep. Julie Fahey (D-Eugene), right, and Rep. Lucetta (R-McMinnville) attend a legislative preview for the press on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 in Salem, Ore.

Saskia Hatvany / OPB

House Speaker Julie Fahey, who proposed the bill, believes it “addresses the most urgent needs of our campaign finance system,” a spokesperson for the Lane County Democrat said. For the tracking system, the bill “will give the Secretary of State the time needed to build it carefully, test it thoroughly, and roll it out without risking problems in the middle of a major election.”

The bill has the backing of labor groups such as the Oregon Nurses Association, Oregon AFSCME, Oregon AFL-CIO and the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. Republican leaders have yet to chime in.

“Oregon is fighting hard for a transparent, robust, and intact democracy against a challenging national landscape from federal threats and corporate power. Fair elections are the foundation of this,” said Harper Haverkamp, of the American Federation of Teachers — Oregon. “The upcoming rollout of recently passed campaign finance reforms is something for us to look forward to — but the rollout must be done right.”

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Campaign finance advocates offered a withering view of the proposal on Tuesday, saying they were excluded from discussions around crafting the bill and calling on lawmakers to reject the bill. In written testimony, one of them urged lawmakers to “Stop kicking the can down the road.”

The bill “massively changes [the 2024 bill] to come very close to making the contribution limits and disclosure requirements illusory,” Dan Meek, a Portland attorney and campaign finance reform advocate, said in Tuesday’s public hearing.

Among other things, he added, the bill would delay disclosure requirements by three years. It would also only restrict a group’s contribution to a campaign if the Secretary of State’s office determined that a single person had created them with the intent of evading limits, “which will be very difficult to prove,” he noted.

“This is another stealth attempt by legislative leadership and the big campaign contributors to do an end run around on campaign finance reform, before it’s set to be implemented,” Kate Titus, the executive director of Common Cause Oregon, said in a statement to OPB Tuesday.

The bill is scheduled for another public hearing on Thursday.

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