St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft formally presented the petition, the biggest in the history of the Channel Islands, to Treasury Minister Terry Le Sueur. It calls for an independent examination of public finances and an investigation into alternative ways of raising the money rather than the 3% goods and sales tax due to be levied from May. The petition comes alongside a proposal lodged by Mr Crowcroft that calls for a referendum before GST is introduced. ‘I hope that the States will pay due attention to the significant proportion of Islanders who have signed this petition,’ Mr Crowcroft said. Senator Le Sueur responded by saying that he would present a report to the States at the earliest possible stage. The anti-GST petition has been signed by 3,000 more people than signed the Millennium Town Park petition in 1997.
