Every week we invite an MHK to write for the Isle of Man Examiner.

Joney Faragher’s column appeared in the Examiner of March 22.

As we keep hearing, we’re facing the sharp end of multiple crises.

Our schools are under-staffed and under-resourced and our hospital is under strain; our uninsulated homes freeze as energy prices soar.

Pot holes litter our roads; hospitality reports a staffing crisis… I could go on but I don’t want to lose you this early.

So what’s the purpose of this liturgy of woes? Taxation, my friends.

I know - *shudder* *vomit* – our reaction to this simple word tells all really.

Here’s the thing: for all our unique Manxness, one of our peculiarly British traits is that of wanting European-standard public services and governmental support, whilst paying American-standard taxation.

This is a circle that cannot be squared. We cannot and will not have high-quality public services without paying for them.

Yes, I will put in the boring bit: studies of taxation systems show us that our neighbour, the UK taxpayer, has among the lowest personal tax rates in the advanced countries, and (here’s the important bit) high earners on £100,000 or more see less of their income deducted via taxation than almost anywhere else in Europe. I’m guessing you know how our taxation rates compare with the UK.

So a big conversation is needed: do we want low taxes, or good public services?

This link between taxes and public services, bizarrely, isn’t talked about very much.

That’s part of the disconnect in this whole equation. Politicians tend to want to talk about things that make them popular, so they’ll say, ‘I want a world-leading health service and exceptional schools’ on the one hand and ‘I will keep your taxes low’ on the other. Two contradicting statements.

The Budget, which is essentially a public document about how public money is spent, isn’t widely read (perhaps for good reason – running to 182 pages of tables, graphs, departmental priorities and achievements). It’s such an under-discussed area. It feels almost taboo.

Well, it’s time the velvet curtains came down and this was put on the table.

I seem to be getting confused with my metaphors here, perhaps even I am feeling the pressure to lean away from this topic!

It’s time to flip the script and acknowledge what we all know in our hearts: 1) taxation is investment, and 2) the poorest should pay the least.

As the leader of the Manx Labour Party, you might not be surprised to hear that I support progressive taxation (where the wealthiest pay the most).

This seems fair to me – but more importantly, it achieves the goal I am aiming for: a more equal society, with good public services and a trusting relationship between people and government.

I love the land of my birth and I am, like most Manxies, proud of many things that we are.

But I do sometimes worry about the things that we are not – I have been on the receiving end of the deep mistrust people have towards the government, and I have watched our island become less equal, that gap between rich and poor widening over my lifetime.

A more progressive tax system, coupled with an accessible public document with our incomings versus spending on public services, would go a long way towards addressing both of these.

Imagine: public services are good or even exceptional, people are happier and feel that government is looking after them. Wealth being more evenly distributed brings higher educational attainment, life expectancy and social mobility; and lower infant mortality, obesity, adverse mental health issues, teen birth rates, imprisonment. It’s an impressive list of positives isn’t it!

Yes, you may say I’m a dreamer. But…

If you want to find out more about the correlation between income inequality and societal outcomes, I recommend The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, which is a comprehensive study on this.

And I’m really not the only one. For countries that deliver what I have outlined above, see Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belgium. Amongst others.