The Govt obviously feels it is doing well by us as "the above inflation busting deal" is designed to keep us happy, be we fighting fires, conducting desert warfare or just doing our normal job. The idea of tax-free pay when away from home is not new as most of us know. When I was last in the desert and asked my Det Cdr about this perk, which is enjoyed by the Americans, I was told that we, the Brits, were not into that kind of thing!! (Queen and Country,etc).
A better idea, in view of the popular one-off payments being made to retain aircrew, may be along the lines of an extra months pay at Xmas for every serviceman. This would undoubtedly back up the wonderful accolades heaped on us by politicians when the bullets start flying! In the mean time I've taken the lead of higthepig and put the 3.2% before tax rise into the tank of my car as the price of fuel is on its way up-at least I can get to work intime to catch MT for BZN!
