Each year, the Chamber of Commerce Young Business Group produces its annual business trends survey, which provides a valuable snapshot of how the island’s wealth-creating sector is performing and what it thinks of its prospects.

The good news is that not only did local enterprise weather the economic storm surprisingly well, it is also largely upbeat about prospects for this year for profit growth and for employing more staff.

As an island increasingly reliant on taxing individual earnings to fund essential public services, that is very encouraging. However, the survey was not entirely positive.

Asked to rate the States of Guernsey’s effectiveness in running the island last year, 81%, a huge majority, expressed reservations. Roughly a third said it was average, a further third viewed it as poor and 12% said ‘very poor indeed’. Just 2% had no real view, revealing a high level of engagement.

It is also important to bear in mind that the responses were not simple ‘States bashing’. They came from pragmatic business people who know – and the antics of Public Services over the port tax were a vivid reminder – how bad government can damage their interests.

It is no coincidence that the majority viewed the island’s competitiveness as the dominant issue, followed by increased operating costs here and the vulnerability of external transport links.

A glance at the survey indicates there are many matters concerning employers and that these are affairs the States should be concentrating on instead of pursuing vanity projects such as 20mph speed limits.

The poll did not ask whether wealth creators believe States members understand business problems but the answer – particularly for the financial services sector – is not hard to guess.

Commerce and Employment and its staff have a good reputation for their appreciation of the difficulties and the support they seek to provide. The rest of the Assembly, alas, does not.

That was reflected by the deputies’ initial belief that swinging £1.8m.-worth of extra costs on the ports would be some sort of pain-free solution.

The reality was that it represented an ill-considered attack on the island’s cost base.

And unless Guernsey remains competitive, it does not have a future.