Green-eyed scrutiny gives finance issues
Wednesday 20th August 2008, 12:30PM BST.
Peter Niven. (0502060)
GUERNSEY’S finance industry faces a constant battle amid unrelenting scrutiny, the man in charge of advancing the island’s reputation has said.
Peter Niven, chief executive of Guernsey Finance, claimed no other industry was examined as much as finance.
‘Despite the success of the industry, battles are still going on under the surface,’ he said.
‘I think a lot of the scrutiny is from people with fixed agendas, particularly the EU. We need to be engaged with Brussels. There needs to be a constant drip feed of information to them about Guernsey so that they can better understand what we’re about.’
Mr Niven said the island was under enormous scrutiny.
‘It’s everywhere,’ he said. ‘They are looking at us from every angle and I don’t think it’s going to get easier. There is a belief that we are taking on business here which is someway reducing the tax take of other jurisdictions.
‘There is almost this green-eyed monster, generally from Europe, that causes us problems.
‘But I think our relationship with Brussels can improve with better communication with their politicians and bureaucrats.’
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Some realistic comments spoiled by the “‘I think a lot of the scrutiny is from people with fixed agendas, particularly the EU” remark.
Is this man deliberately trying to wind up those whose eyes are on Guernsey?
It would have been better to have concentrated on the positives such as the regulatory system and procedures for making sure that the world knows that Guernsey takes its responsibilities seriously.
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I don’t think name calling is going to help the image of Guernsey’s finance industry internationally. Surely a major part of Mr Niven’s role is to be an ambassador for Guernsey finance. Some of his public utterances have not sounded very diplomatic – we should be trying to make friends not alienate them.
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