The party, which is fielding 18 candidates across the Island, have unveiled a manifesto with ten core proposals.
Among their core policies is an overhaul of the taxation system, including introducing a single rate of income tax whereby everyone would be put onto a marginal rate of 25 per cent – with tax breaks offered to all.
This, the party say, would result in an income tax cut for the majority of Islanders, with only the highest earners paying more. They say the move would boost States coffers by £6 million a year.
Under the current system, Islanders pay the lower of either the ‘marginal’ 26 per cent rate, which has a generous exemption threshold and numerous allowances, or the 20 per cent ‘personal’ rate, under which there is no threshold and far fewer allowances.
Reform Jersey member Deputy Monfort Tadier said: ‘What this means in reality is that a family with two children, with both parents earning the average wage, would be better off by £365 a year.
‘Pensioners would be better off, with a retired married couple only starting to pay extra tax if they earn £156,000-plus a year.
‘A family with children claiming £10,000 of childcare tax relief would not pay any extra tax until they were earning £210,000. Those earning less than this would receive a tax cut.’
The additional £6 million would be used to fund university tuition fees for all Island students at an estimated cost of around £4.5 million a year.
The surplus £1.5 million would be used in years where there was exceptional demand for university places.
The party have also put forward plans to overhaul the Social Security contribution system to raise a further £42 million which – among other things – would help fund 26 weeks of paid statutory maternity leave and reduce costs of GP visits for pensioners and children.
Currently employees pay a six per cent social security contribution up to £50,000 earnings and nothing on anything above that.
Employers pay 6.5 per cent up to £50,000, and an extra two per cent on earnings above that level to a maximum of £165,000.
Reform Jersey would scrap the maximum cap and employers would pay 6.5 per cent on everything, while employees would pay six per cent.
A total of £1 million of the money raised through changes to social security contributions would be spent on improving the dental fitness scheme for children, according to the party.
