CELTIC LEAGUE PRESS INFORMATION

MANN SHOULD RETHINK LINKS WITH UK AS BRITS DROP TAX BOMBSHELL

The Celtic League Director of Information (DoI) has said the Isle of Man should
consider all options including independence following recent unilateral actions
by the United Kingdom government which have impacted on the Crown dependency.

In the latest move the United Kingdom has unilaterally revised a long standing
tax receipts agreement which will lose the Isle of Man hundreds of millions of
pounds over the next few years. (Note 1)

This move comes hard on the heels of a separate initiative to cancel a bilateral
health agreement which means Manx residents will be charged individually for
health care if they fall ill in the United Kingdom (Note 2). This week Manx
people were told that from April they must take out private health insurance
when visiting the UK

The news also coincides with news that the UK wants to reactivate a plan to
introduce passport control between the Island and the United Kingdom.

The Celtic League DoI also pointed out, in an interview with Manx Radio, that
higher education fees levied on the Island by the United Kingdom are appreciable
higher than UK domestic rates (Note 3).

The DoI said he could not join with the condemnation voiced by some Manx
politicians of the UK and said the UK was simply looking out for the interests
of its own citizens and that the Isle of Man government should do likewise.

Finally, the DoI said that the UK moves should be seen as an opportunity for the
Island to have a serious debate about its future looking at all options (Note 4)
including independence.

The, edited, Manx Radio interview can be found on the Manx Radio (Listen Again)
site here:

http://www.manxradio.com/listen.aspx

The report can be found on Friday Mandate am (in the second portion of the
programme after the 8:00pm news.

Also a news clip here:

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=39858


Note 1: Changes to the Common Purse Agreement

Note 2: The Isle of Man has to date paid a lump sum to cover health care for
Manx residents when in the UK. The UK is cancelling this agreement. Off Island
specialist treatment and care is paid for separately by the Island and this in
unaffected. Howver the Islands DHSS is looking at options to purchase specialist
care treatment in Ireland or Scotland as the traditional area which provided it
(the North west UK) appears to have been hiking up its charges.

Note 3: University course fees charged to Manx students are roughly twice those
charged to UK residents – the IOM government has (to date) fully funded all of
Island course fees for students.

Note 4: The United Kingdom has other ways of squeezing money out of the Isle of
Man.

It levies broadcast licence fees on the Island with the agreement of the Manx
government (Approx £3 million per annun) however the broadcast service is
generally poor and the Isle of Man government has to fund its own Radio Station
separately.

Also the Island pays several million pounds for something called Defence and
Common Services although quite what the UK is defending the Isle of Man from is
unclear!


J B Moffatt
Director of Information
Celtic League

23/10/09


The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works
to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a
broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights
human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on
socio-economic issues.

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