Even Norman Hamilton, a Labour Party columnist, has contradicted the MLP, the Nationalist Party said yesterday. Mr Hamilton, it said, wrote in The Times yesterday that he did not believe the rumour doing the rounds that the PN would raise value added tax.

MLP exponents, the PN said, are claiming that the PN would raise VAT if re-elected.

In reply, Norman Hamilton said that he wrote “I trust that the rumour doing the rounds that a new Nationalist government will raise VAT from 18 per cent to 25 per cent is completely unfounded”. He said that in that sense “trust” means “hope”, not “believe”.