Mark Dearey (Green Party)

I again thank Members for their kind remarks this morning. While I had expected all of that to finish yesterday, long may it continue.

I wish to address the issue of the Border economy. I call for a debate on an assessment of the impact the small reduction in VAT has had to date. I acknowledge that I might be slightly previous in this regard as the figures may not yet be available but it is an important issue to address. I am a great believer that if one creates the correct environment for business, businesses will get on with it. While one can create all sorts of mechanisms and incentives, it is all about creating a good and level playing surface between North and South, while recognising the exchange rate issue is ever present and can affect matters badly. There is a serious degree of asymmetry between the cost of doing business North and South. The issue pertaining to the VAT rate has been partially addressed and I wish to ascertain what impact this has had and whether such an assessment should encourage Members to consider lowering the VAT rate again to bring this jurisdiction more in line with the North. I believe everyone can win from this because anecdotally, although the haemorrhage has stopped, there still is a bleed northwards.

I believe this can be dealt with by dealing further with the existing asymmetries, which incidentally also include matters such as local government charges. The debate could be widened to include giving local authorities a more flexible hand when dealing with small businesses and the collection of rates. At present, the local authorities are hidebound by the statutes governing the collection of rates. This means that frequently, in the case of willing retailers or small business people who wish to pay on a staggered basis or according to their present means, such an offer cannot be made because of the manner in which rates must be collected by the local authorities. In addition to the initial issue regarding VAT, I also seek a wider debate on creating a cost base that allows local and small businesses to get on with it.