I agree with Busses Idea,why not give our service personnel tax free wages whilst abroad? it"s not as if this Country cannot afford it! I cannot understand why there is a comparison with other nations salary levels it is really not relevent in this discussion.I left the RAF 15 years ago and if I work out of the Country for a certain period then my salary is tax free and is not compared to any other nationality this concession is perfectly legal and is implemented by a tax coding on my wage slips instead of a figure code the letter NT are there (meaning no tax)so if it"s okay for me as a civilian as a British citizen working overseas(not resident overseas)then why not for services people?to determine whether the tax free situation is valid or not,well the criteria is simple:is the theatre of operations within Great Britain or Northern Ireland(as in your passport) if yes then pay is taxed,if no your pay is tax free,simple really.
Matkat