Bermuda, Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul charged yesterday.

"They feel, in the politics of envy, that there are lots of other people who are very, very wealthy, and they have to get their hands on their money,'' Dr.

Saul told The Royal Gazette .

But, "income tax always crucifies the middle class,'' he said. The Minister was reacting to mixed signals coming from the PLP on the subject of tax policy.

At a rally last week, PLP Pembroke West Central candidate Mr. Philip Perinchief said it was "a myth'' that there was no income tax in Bermuda, because "every tax you pay comes out of your income.

"For those who wish to know what the PLP have been discussing in-house, I'll speak with you when I come down from the podium,'' he said at St. John's Field.

In a later interview, the lawyer and first-time candidate said work on a new tax scheme was in an "embryonic'' stage, and it might not be ready for the impending general election campaign.

"Although the PLP have not formally advocated income tax, basically we are discussing what are better ways of distributing the wealth, and just looking at various progressive taxation systems and proportional taxation systems,'' he said.

Shadow Health and Social Services Minister Mr. Nelson Bascome, who spoke immediately after Mr. Perinchief at the rally, said: "It is unequal in terms of what we pay and what they pay. We may need to sit down and talk about this a little more.'' But yesterday, Mr. Bascome said he was not referring to tax policy. PLP constituencies paid the same amount for roads and streetlights as UBP constituencies, but they did not receive the same benefits, he said.

And campaign co-chairman Mr. Terry Lister, while not repudiating Mr.

Perinchief's remarks, said the party was not studying income tax.

Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade has not commented, but he and Shadow Finance Minister Mr. Eugene Cox are expected to hold a news conference today.

Yesterday, National Liberal Party Leader and former PLP member Mr. Gilbert Darrell said income tax "has been a topic in the PLP for years, as far as I know.'' But last year in the House of Assembly, Mr. Wade said that only Mr. Darrell supported income tax. "It was an untruth as everybody knew,'' Mr. Darrell said. "It appears Mr. Wade has some explaining to do to the electorate on this matter of income tax.''