Treasury
270 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 38.5%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Isle of Man Treasury reveal an authority that is highly transparent regarding aggregate financial data but increasingly protective of operational details and specific contractual arrangements. The most striking disclosures concern the 'Aircraft VAT Refund' scheme, where the Treasury confirmed over £300 million in refunds between 2016 and 2019 before the practice ceased entirely (Cases 679571, 1121225, 2695289). Similarly, the Treasury has been open about systemic administrative challenges, admitting to a backlog of over 7,000 unassessed tax returns due to staffing shortages (Case 1178052) and providing detailed breakdowns of high-profile expenditures like the Manx Care CEO office (Case 4159610). However, a pattern of obstruction emerges in requests concerning legal aid and investment specifics. The Treasury has moved from providing aggregated legal aid costs to refusing to confirm or deny specific payments (Case 3851581) and labeling persistent inquiries as 'vexatious' (Case 4004962). Furthermore, while the Treasury discloses high-level asset allocations, it consistently withholds detailed pension fund holdings and consultancy billable hours, citing commercial sensitivity and ongoing tender processes (Cases 823766, 2592433). This suggests a government that welcomes public scrutiny of its bottom line but resists deep dives into the mechanics of its decision-making and specific vendor relationships.
Key Cases
Case 679571 — Discloses a staggering £253 million in VAT refunds for 68 aircraft between 2016-2018, revealing the scale of a specific tax incentive scheme that has since vanished from the records.
Case 4159610 — Provides a full breakdown of the £27.8 million expenditure by the Manx Care CEO office, a significant disclosure regarding healthcare leadership costs that was previously opaque.
Case 1178052 — Explicitly links a backlog of 7,424 unassessed tax returns to staffing shortages, offering a rare internal admission of administrative failure affecting revenue collection.
Case 4004962 — Marks a shift in the Treasury's approach to transparency, where a request for legal aid data was classified as 'vexatious' due to the frequency of correspondence, effectively blocking further scrutiny on that topic.
Case 2249733 — Directly addresses corruption concerns by confirming that no Covid-19 Salary Support Scheme payments were made to businesses linked to former Chief Minister Howard Quayle, providing a clear 'all clear' on a high-profile allegation.
Related FOI Stories
Aircraft VAT Refund Scheme — #679571, #1121225, #1651945, #2695289
Legal Aid Expenditure and Administration — #356063, #356067, #356065, #2541489, #2594293
Pension Fund Investments and Ethics — #433135, #823766, #847165, #1037461, #1558209
Tax Arrears and Collection Efficiency — #654168, #684267, #688567, #1178052, #1193049
Strategic Consultancy and 'Our Big Picture' — #2592433, #2594494, #2306897
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-10-15 | Egaming and ICT companies | All information sent |
| 2017-10-15 | Suppliers by Dept and Co Origin | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2017-10-13 | First Time Buyers Kirk Michael | Information not held |
| 2017-10-13 | Incapacity benefits | All information sent |
| 2017-10-04 | Aircraft VAT | All information sent |
| 2017-09-25 | Invoice processing times | All information sent |
| 2017-09-08 | Residences of abortion pill seizures | All information sent |
| 2017-07-15 | Number of Claimants and Benefit Payments | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2017-07-08 | People employed above £40K & NI level | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2017-07-05 | Cost of Guests - Tynwald Day | Information not held |
| 2017-06-29 | Payments received by payment type across Govt | Not required to fulfill request |
| A request for summarized government payments by type and department was made to the Isle of Man Treasury. The authority refused to fulfill the request because the applicant failed to provide necessary clarifications regarding specific payment types and time periods within the statutory 28-day limit. | ||
| 2017-06-19 | Abortion pills seizure | All information sent |
| 2017-06-10 | Residential dwellings | All information sent |
| 2017-05-11 | FSA costs and income | All information sent |
| 2017-05-01 | Public Sector Pensions | Information not held |
| 2017-03-19 | Income Tax arrears | All information sent |
| 2017-03-07 | Ramsey Courthouse | All information sent |
| 2017-03-05 | Vehicle Tax | Information not held |
| 2017-02-10 | Toilet Tax | All information sent |
| 2017-01-21 | CE Import tax | Some information sent but not all held |