Time for a Tax Break?

[DuckDodgers]

As many of the more astute will have found recently whilst participating in OIF we the Brits are getting a raw deal from our employer, the British Government. Is it not time we started to get tax fee salary and additional money above the LSSA and LOA system when deployed on Ops, which these days for some of us is as common as being in the UK?

My colleagues in the RAAF are receiving not only tax fee salary but an additional A$165 per day within the JOA and A$260 per day if in Iraq and as we all no our US counterparts get tax free and hostile fire pay. I suggest we all put up a case to Trust me Tony and Bumbling Brown to give us extra money!

For crying out loud we don even get the UN pay when deployed on UN Ops wearing a blue beret!!

Any schemes of manouevere out there to do this, some blunties must know somewhere..................

[BEagle]

The usual response is that your 'overall' pay and allowances are actually better than those of your colonial chums......

Of course it is. Oh yes. Absolutely........

[Zoom]

But you didn't join for the pay and allowances, did you? You joined for the honour of serving Queen and country, etc, etc.......oh all right, I'll shut up now.

[Top Bunk Tester]

This from yesterdays (12 May 03) House of Commons Oral Answers to Questions on Defence. The Secretary of State was asked by Mrs. Cheryl Gillan (MP for Chesham and Amersham) and answered by The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Dr. Lewis Moonie:

Mrs. Gillan : Will the Minister tell me why our service personnel get such a raw deal when they are risking their lives on the front line, and why they lose out financially, particularly when compared with the American forces, alongside whom they are serving in the Gulf? Will the Minister now get the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to bring our soldiers' benefits to the level enjoyed by our American allies, and pay their council tax for them and give them income tax relief while they are deployed on active service? Is not it about time that the Government gave our forces a fair deal?

Dr. Moonie: This seems to be one of the many myths that the Opposition perpetuate. The body responsible for armed forces pay and remuneration last year conducted an independent study into the package of benefits available to all serving men and women in a vast number of countries, including the United States of America, and concluded that our package, taken overall, was the equivalent of all of them. I do not think that we have anything to apologise for.


So bog all for those that can and do then!

[chippy63]

....and doubtless a few gongs were distributed to those who made this determination....

[Proman]

Can you make a sentence from these two words: chance, fat. If nothing else the differences in allowances gave us something to talk about with US and Aus colleagues...and if the packages are 'the same overall' why to they always feel sorry for us?

[SunderlandMatt]

How about Tony

Does Blair pay tax? Infact, does the Queen pay tax on any of her income? Does she have any income? So many questions, so little time!

[Whipping Boy's SATCO]

This seems to be one of the many myths that the Opposition perpetuate

I don't know about you guys, but I don't warm to being described as the Opposition.

...........concluded that our package, taken overall, was the equivalent of all of them

Is that before or after Income Tax, NI Contributions, Stamp Duty, fuel tax, VAT etc, etc?

[22/7 Master]

The armed forces salary continues to deteriorate in real terms for those mere mortals not covered by the senior salaries review board.
At the same time we are asked to expand our remit and enable compliance with new legislation with no extra resources. Examples of this are IiP, The freedom of information act (coming soon folks!) and for the RN only RORRS.

On top of this are the gaps we must cover when, understandably, our boys and girls see the grass is greener on the other side. They are doing this despite what is, arguably, a current recession.

There is simply not enough money in the pot to pay us what we (feel we) deserve and those familiar with the phrase 'management of decline' will already be looking for careers outside. God help Geoff Hoon when the airline market picks up again.

If anyone is able to get a comparison of rise in salaries (and benefits) for say at Lt RN, Capt, Flt Lt and compare it to and MP between GW1 and 2 it may be very interesting. I am thinking of a sympathetic journalist here.

[Dan Winterland]

The lack of UN pay is a bit of a scandal. It appears that our government may be pocketing it. My brother in law when in the employ of a foreign nation's army did a year in the Lebanon and received his UN pay. Meant a brand new BMW 5 series!

[Biggus]

For what it is worth I think you will find that many governments around the world "pocket" their soldiers UN pay. For many African nations this is a major source of income, which is why troops from such nations are often found on UN duties.

Of course this does not make it right (although I think the UN money may be to compensate the host nation for the loss of its troops - not to sure on that one!), but my point is do not just blame the UK government over this one!!

[akula]

BAH HUMBUG!!!
We nearly always get the short end of the stick, having just came home from a recent deployment that had an extensive welfare package available (some board games with the pieces missing, week old papers and a 20 min phone alowance per week all given four days prior to RTU) hence no LOA, that the bean counters must have got some very big pats on the back.
Money gets thrown at the most insane projects in vast ammounts yet unfailingly never does a penny come the way of the troops.

always ASSUME never CHECK