Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce says it broadly welcomes Chief Minister Chris Thomas’ Charter for Change.
But it says it wants to see actions that lead to delivery on the commitments the policy document contains.
Tynwald is due to debate Thomas’s flagship policy paper at its November 17 sitting. The charter itself was only published late on November 10.
Chamber of Commerce President Claire Watterson said of the charter: “This is a good starting point, but it must lead to actions that support economic growth.
“This is why Chamber wants to work with Government and the wider business community to turn the Charter into an economic strategy and a delivery plan that gets moving quickly.”
She said the charter “broadly aligned” with the Chamber’s own views “particularly because it recognises that the island’s future prosperity depends on decisions made across all government departments”.
Thomas’ Charter for Change contains eight “national priorities” across “three overarching ambitions”.
The Chamber of Commerce published the actions it said that the business community wanted to see the government prioritise to drive economic growth. It produced two papers: Future Economy Framework and Conditions for Growth.
Chamber Echo
Watterson said many of the goals in the Chamber’s papers were echoed in Thomas’ Charter.
“Skills, housing, connectivity, regulation and effective public services all feature in the papers we have published,” she said.
“We also highlighted longstanding concerns about the size of government, and delays and complexity which affect business confidence when making decisions about future investment.
“In this context it is encouraging to see that the Charter recognises that government is currently too big, too complicated and too slow in too many places.”
Real Test
The Chamber says it is pleased the Charter “aims to do fewer things so they get done” and welcomes the commitment to a fuller plan in the New Year.
That, it says, will be the real test.
Watterson added: “The Charter for Change is a good starting point as a first step towards making that happen, but the business community has heard similar bold promises before from previous governments.
“The new administration needs to demonstrate to the business community that this time things will be different, and that fine words will be turned into actions that drive positive changes across government to support much needed economic growth.”
