Tax Fairness • True Sovereignty • Economic Diversity • Food & Energy Security
Elected Member of the States of Guernsey
Technical Expert • Policy Innovator • Fairness Champion
Singapore-trained engineer bringing 20+ years of strategic problem-solving to Guernsey's most pressing challenges.
Married to a Guernsey woman since 2007 and proud father of a young daughter. This island has been good to my family - now, I'm determined to ensure it remains resilient and prosperous for all islanders facing the global uncertainties ahead.
Engineer-led governance built Singapore's miracle. Guernsey deserves that same technical competence.
Let's build a Guernsey that works for its people - fair, resilient, and independent.
Guernsey loses millions every year to tax avoidance. Government is short of money, while the ultra-rich pay little to no taxes.
Tax Loopholes for the Ultra-Rich:
Solution:
Housing Crisis:
Solution:
UK banned Huawei due to US pressure. Guernsey followed UK and cancelled Huawei 5G - now we're stuck with obsolete 4G/3G. We import 90% of goods but let others decide who we trade with.
Chart Our Own Economic Course:
No More Automatic Alignment:
Finance sector faces grim prospect. Meanwhile, our airport can't handle cargo planes, limiting new industries.
Create new, export-based economy:
Catch Up to Jersey:
In WW2, Guernsey starved when blockaded. Today, we import 90% of our food and 99% of our energy. History will repeat if we don't act.
Learn from Occupation:
Keep Island Functioning In Global Crisis:
CLOSING TAX LOOPHOLES
The Fair Share Tax is intended for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs)...
Why this distinction?
This is Guernsey's most dangerous myth. The truth about many HNWIs with Guernsey property ties:
"A healthy economy can't be built on passive wealth storage - it requires fair contributions and active investment in our community."
While often portrayed as economic pillars, many ultra-rich with Guernsey property ties contribute disproportionately little to Guernsey's real economy relative to their wealth and real estate consumption:
£0
Additional tax revenue from 72% of HNWIs using trust/loan schemes
9-17x
Home price-to-income ratio contributed by property hoarding
Key Takeaway: Many HNWIs consume scarce island resources while contributing minimally to productive growth. My Fair Share Tax and Monthly Vacant Property Levy will ensure they pay their way to support Guernsey's real economy.
Guernsey attracts different categories of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), each with distinct economic impacts on the island:
These individuals do not own property in Guernsey - either personally or through companies/trusts they control. Typically foreign nationals, they primarily utilise Guernsey's financial services.
These individuals own property in Guernsey, usually held under corporate or trust structures to optimise tax efficiency. Some reside on the island, while others are foreign-based but benefit from property ownership.
Like the second group, they hold property through "tax-efficient" structures. However, they also run legitimate businesses in Guernsey that employ local residents.
In summary, the ideal HNWI for Guernsey would be one who establishes substantial local businesses that create meaningful employment for islanders, while avoiding both property hoarding and socially unjust tax avoidance strategies. Such individuals would fully contribute to the island's economy while bearing their fair share of social responsibilities. However, this balanced combination of attributes remains exceptionally rare in practice.
MONTHLY LEVY ON VACANT PROPERTIES
Roughly 700+ properties in Guernsey are vacant (2024 Guernsey Annual Residential Property Stock Bulletin).
The monthly levy proposal gives owners three clear choices for vacant/underutilized homes (empty >6 months or occupied <30 days/year):
Every possible outcome benefits Guernsey:
✅ Rented? More people housed
✅ Sold? Market prices stabilise
✅ Held vacant? States gain new revenue stream every month
The Monthly Levy will explicitly exempt properties vacant for verifiable reasons like:
It targets only intentional wealth storage, identified by:
"An independent review panel could be established to hammer out these safeguards. The goal isn't to burden property owners with legitimate reasons for vacancy - it's to free up the 700+ properties currently held as tax-free wealth storage by the ultra rich while protecting legitimate cases."
Official reports show 700+ vacant properties (2024 Guernsey Housing Bulletin. Does not include commercial properties (which are also used for wealth parking). Includes completely vacant residential properties & other unspecified tenure types - likely properties that are only occasionally occupied).
Average home prices are 9-17 times local salaries. The wealthy are the only ones who can afford to buy million-pound properties just to leave them empty or use them as occasional holiday homes - a pattern consistent with the use of property as wealth storage.
Another telltale sign of ultra-wealthy ownership is the deliberate effort to hide who really owns these properties:
Wealthy investors often park money in empty properties because:
"A £3M empty home during a housing crisis isn't a mere investment - it's wealth hoarding and tax avoidance. My Monthly Levy targets these schemes while protecting normal homeowners."
Precedents prove it's possible:
"The UK respects Crown Dependencies that assert reasonable autonomy."
"A direct partnership with the economic giants of Asia could be Guernsey's key to diversifying beyond finance."
"Singapore proves neutrality isn't weakness - it's how small states magnify their influence. Guernsey could become the 'Switzerland of the Channel'."
The evidence tells a clear story: Huawei's security risks were deemed manageable by the UK until the Trump administration threatened.
The UK's own National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) operated 15 years of rigorous oversight through the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre. Their 2020 report concluded:
The 2020 ban wasn't based on new security findings, but U.S. political pressure and coercion:
"Our regime is arguably the toughest and most rigorous oversight regime in the world for Huawei... I would be obliged to report if there was evidence of malevolence... by Huawei. And we're yet to have to do that."
- Ciaran Martin, Head of UK's National Cyber Security Centre
Reuters, February 20, 2019
Guernsey could transform into a strategic logistics hub by leveraging three key advantages: world-class port and airport infrastructure, bonded warehousing facilities, and strategic neutrality. This combination would position the island as a "mini-Singapore in the English Channel" - an ideal midpoint for transshipment between Asia and Europe/UK, particularly for high-value or time-sensitive goods.
Chinese and global logistics firms could utilize Guernsey as a staging post for goods headed to both UK and EU markets. Bonded warehousing would allow goods to be stored without paying import duties or VAT until market decisions are made, while our financial sector could provide complementary trade finance, insurance, and currency services.
Example: Chinese Electronics Company
A smartphone manufacturer in Shenzhen could ship to Guernsey instead of congested European ports. At Guernsey's port, containers would be quickly unloaded with some immediately reloaded onto smaller ships for France and Spain, while others are air-freighted to the UK or Germany. Excess inventory could be stored duty-free in bonded warehouses until distribution decisions are finalized.
The magic happens when our three strategic levers overlap:
This combination would make Guernsey an attractive "safe hub" for Chinese firms looking for faster, more flexible supply chains into Europe, especially if geopolitical tensions result in restrictions elsewhere.
The Result: Instead of merely being a passenger stop between the UK and France, Guernsey would become a global logistics hub generating income from port fees, airport cargo, warehousing, financial services, and creating new employment opportunities.
"Guernsey could become the Singapore of the English Channel - a neutral, efficient hub where global trade and finance converge."
Finance sector faces mounting risks:
We must future-proof Guernsey: While maintaining our finance sector today, we need to develop alternative industries for tomorrow.
High-tech solutions for small spaces:
"Food sovereignty is national security. Never forget the lessons of WW2."
Guernsey has untapped tidal potential:
"We pay premium rates for French electricity while ignoring this natural resource on our doorstep."
Housing Type Quota: A Smarter Approach to Guernsey's Housing Crisis
Guernsey's limited land and soaring housing prices demand bold action. My Housing Type Quota policy proposal will ensure developers build the homes islanders actually need - not just luxury properties. By setting annual, island-wide caps on large homes while mandating affordable flats and mid-sized housing, we can maximise land use, stabilise prices, and give young families a fighting chance to stay in Guernsey. Below, I explain how this flexible, data-driven system works - and why it's the fairest solution for our island's future.
The Housing Type Quota is a smart cap system to guarantee Guernsey gets the right mix of homes each year. Here's how it works:
If Developer A builds 8 large homes in Q1 2026:
Note: Percentages would adapt yearly based on housing needs assessments.
While many countries mandate affordable housing percentages per development, the proposed Housing Type Quota implements a smarter, island-wide system tailored to our unique constraints:
| Traditional Affordable Housing Rules | Proposed Housing Type Quota |
|---|---|
| Developer-level mandates Requires each project to include (e.g.) 20% affordable units |
Island-wide caps Sets annual limits for all developers combined (e.g., max 10% large homes) |
| Static percentages Fixed rules that rarely adapt to changing needs |
Dynamic balancing Percentages adjust yearly based on expert housing demand reviews |
| Luxury-heavy outcomes Developers still prioritize high-end units in remaining 80% |
Strict luxury limits Hard caps prevent oversupply of unaffordable homes |
| Land inefficiency Affordable units tacked onto sprawling developments |
Optimized land use Prioritises affordable housing (e.g. Flats to house 50+ families per acre vs. 10 luxury homes) |
Traditional approach: One developer builds 80 luxury homes + 20 affordable units on a plot of land. Another developer can do the same on another plot.
Quota system: Once the island hits its 10% luxury cap, developers must build flats or mid-sized homes regardless of location on the island.
Note: Percentages shown are illustrative and would be set annually by housing experts.
The Housing Type Quota replaces piecemeal affordable housing rules with a strategic, island-wide approach that:
1) Guarantees diverse housing options that reflects our diverse population
2) Adapts to Guernsey's changing needs
3) Maximises every square mile of our limited land
Affordable homes will be built - whether our private developers participate or not.
The Ideal Solution: States-Led Construction
Following Singapore's world-renowned HDB model where the government:
(Currently limited by Guernsey's public construction capacity)
The Immediate Path: Incentivising Local Developers
Through the Housing Type Quota system:
The Guarantee: Global Alternatives
If local developers won't participate, we'll:
"Housing is a fundamental right - not a luxury to be rationed or held hostage by developer profit margins. If our local developers prioritise returns over roofs for their fellow islanders, then government must intervene to protect the people."