Chief refutes claims sewerage rate has residents deserting

Mon, 23 Nov 2015

Claims that people are leaving the Isle of Man because they're being hit with increased charges are "bizarre".

That's the view of the Chief Minister who says politicians and the public seem to have "conveniently" forgotten why government is trying to increase its income.

This, he says, is because it's lost £200 million a year through a VAT sharing agreement.

In Tynwald last week MLC Juan Turner claimed increasing the Sewerage Rate was "outrageous" labelling it as a "severely punishing tax" for homeowners - he claims it's leading to people deserting the Island.

However his claims have been disputed by Allan Bell: