'More young people' moving to Guernsey says Locate

The States of Guernsey body which helps to attract wealthy immigrants to the island has said it has seen more interest from younger people in recent months.

Locate Guernsey director Jo Stoddart said: "We have seen families relocating to give their children a safer childhood and a growing number of younger people in tech and entrepreneurship.

"The demographic has changed. It has become a lot younger, with many wanting to do new things," she added.

Billionaire Steve Lansdowne said he supported the work of Locate Guernsey and added that he thought the States should "be taking advantage of the UK's mistakes" to get people to move to the island.

Mr Lansdowne said part of his reasoning for moving to the island was the tax system and he cautioned the government against making big changes.

"If they mess about with the tax regime too much, that could be a disadvantage," he said.

"We are competing with Dubai.

"Our tax regime here is far better than Monaco and the way of life here is much more convivial.

"Dubai is not for people in their 40s plus who want a quieter life. This is the place."

Locate Guernsey supported Nicola and Clive Miller in their move to the island.

The couple, who run Lime Blue - a branding and events agency, said changing family circumstances prompted their move rather than the tax system.

Mr Miller said the process of buying a property on the island was much simpler than in the UK.

The couple said the island has been the perfect place for them to run a business and settle down.

They praised Locate Guernsey for the social events they run to help new migrants to the island integrate with the community.

For Mrs Miller though, the safety was the biggest appeal of living in Guernsey.

She said she lost her car keys on the beach and someone found them and returned them to her.

Although tax wasn't their reason for moving, they acknowledged its advantages after settling.

"No inheritance tax has been... a great thing for us recently," said Mrs Miller, while Mr Miller stated he appreciated the lack of any capital gains tax and a flat rate of income tax.

Despite the praise for the island, Mr Miller said he did want to see more support for small businesses on the island.

The Committee for Economic Development supported Locate Guernsey with a grant of £620,000 in 2025.

The agency has three permanent staff members and has put on a number of shows in the UK in a bid to attract new residents to the island this year.

Guernsey has a 20% rate of income tax, no capital gains or inheritance tax and most companies pay no tax on their profits.

However a review of the island's corporate tax regime is under way and the States has agreed to introduce a GST of at least 5%.

Mrs Stoddart has run Locate Guernsey for seven years and said the events in 2025 had been some of the agency's most popular.

"We had to extend registration for the show multiple times," she said.

"People were calling and emailing asking if it was worth coming to London to attend and many left saying they were definitely going to move to Guernsey.

"People look at us initially because of tax but they choose Guernsey for safety, security and stability.

"You get off the plane and your shoulders drop."

She was keen to stress the economic contribution of the people she had supported to move to the island.

"They pay huge amounts in document duty, use local service providers, send children to private schools and spend on flights, cars, and restaurants," she said.

"They contribute to the economy a lot more than people perhaps realise."

With the UK budget approaching and Chancellor Rachel Reeves not ruling out changes to tax rates, Mrs Stoddart said: "With UK politics as they are, interest will naturally increase.

"We must keep welcoming people and making them feel at home."

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