09 March 2009
The 2009 payment under the GST Bonus scheme is now available. The States agreed to double the value of the Bonus at the end of last year and it is now worth £150 for 2009. The Bonus can be claimed by any household that did not pay income tax in 2007 and does not receive Income Support. Households that receive protected payments under Income Support can also claim the Bonus if they do not pay income tax.
The Bonus is paid as a lump sum once a year.
Application forms for the 2009 payment have been automatically sent to individuals who received a payment in 2008. An application form will also be printed in the Jersey Evening Post this week and forms can be obtained by phoning 445505 or visiting the Social Security Department. Applications can be made at any time from now until 15 December 2009.
The Bonus provides a compensation for the additional cost of food during 2009. The households that receive the Bonus do not benefit from the other measures in place to help local families.
Families receiving Income Support without a protected payment received increases in May 2008 to cover the full cost of GST and have also benefited from an additional £3 million allocated to Income Support for 2009.
Tax payers who are entitled to what is known as ‘Marginal Relief‘ have benefited from increased tax exemption thresholds which reduce their ITIS payments and tax bills.
The Minister for Social Security, Deputy Ian Gorst, explained: “I am very pleased that the GST Bonus payment for 2009 has been increased to £150 and that it is available much earlier in the year.”
Please click on the links below to download a copy of the application form and guidance notes:
Application FormDocument Type: Adobe PDF
Size: 20 Kb
Guidance NotesDocument Type: Adobe PDF
Size: 12 Kb
To view PDF files you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader, the latest version can be freely downloaded here:
(This will open in a new window)
gov.je