A political party has voiced its concerns about a consultation into the relevance of low-value coins.

The proposed change would see pennies and two- and five-pence coins removed from circulation in the island and cash bills rounded up or down to the nearest 10p.

Liberal Vannin discussed the move by Treasury at their monthly coffee morning.

A spokesperson for the party said: ‘Members present felt that the issue was a distraction from the more pressing concerns that government currently faces.

‘It is likely to be inflationary and could lead to a reduction in income for local charities since many people donate small denomination coins received in change when shopping.’

Speaking to the Isle of Man Examiner this week the Treasury Minister, Alex Allinson, said: ‘The reason for doing this is very much that they’re not used often, in fact, we haven’t had to mint any of them since 2016.

‘The reality is they cost more to mint than that actually the face value now.

‘We’ve heard, anecdotally, from businesses that the cost of dealing with small change and the cost of the banks of banking it, and storing it, is becoming more and more expensive.’

The Manx Independent also approached the Chamber of Commerce for comment on the consultation into the move, however, it did not wish to comment on the issue at this point.

Issues also discussed at the Liberal Vannin coffee morning included ‘safeguarding issues, the long waiting lists for receiving NHS dental treatment and lodging complaints regarding health and social care services in the island’.

The spokesperson said: ‘It was noted that the British Medical Association has reported that Manx Care staff are wary of raising complaints internally, but we also note that many patients are also reticent to do so, for fear of victimisation for themselves or family members.

‘We are therefore highlighting this issue as one of extreme importance for the attention of Lawrie Hooper, our party leader and Minister for Health and Social Care.’

Due to the TT races, next month’s Liberal Vannin coffee morning will be cancelled, the next meeting will be on Saturday, July 1, from 10.30am to 12pm at the Christian Science Reading Room, Woodbourne Road, Douglas.

The consultation into the relevance of low-value Manx coins will continue until June 28, with the form available online at the government’s website or at Government Offices on Buck’s Road, Douglas.


Read the Manx Independent's opinion about the issue in this week's newspaper.