PM vows to 'reward' forces
 

LATEST: PM vows to 'reward' forces after Army chief calls for more money for them. More soon.

Is everyone excited?

another tiny tax rebate on the way then!

Or as Gordo the Tax Thief states:

So make of that what you will.

More likely a "Day Off" so you can have some pointless parade with all the BS nause and extra work involved. Good for morale, doncha know?

Dannet appears to have selected his TOT nicely though.:ok:

Mr Brown said: "I recognise the huge contribution that our armed forces make to the security of the country and we will continue to try to reward our armed forces for the dedication and commitment they show, often in very difficult theatres of war.

So no actual comitment to do anything at all then.:ugh:

Original interview in the Currant:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle1247731.ece

Quote:
The Ministry of Defence said pay was only one element of a soldiers' salary, which includes allowances for housing, food, tax relief and schooling.


I don't get an allowance for House, Education, food etc, so can I have it in cash then please sir! And could someone tell me the tax relief that is quoted there??

The MOD's breakdown of pay shown here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7437014.stm is very misleading.

For a start they cannot claim that education allowance forms part of basic pay can they?! The £2175 seems suspiciously like a higher tier ELC claim and an SLC claim. For a start the private needs to do 8 years service to be able to clai ma higher tier ELC and even then they can only claim it 3 times so hardly equivalent to basic pay.

Are they also really claiming that forces accommodation in its current state is a benefit worth £425.83? Its scandalous they even charge for some of it.

The main problem with low pay and lots of allowances bolted on is that none of the allowances are pensionable nor can they be used to base a mortgage application on. Hardly the basis of a long-term retention strategy.

I do like the benefits calculator that attempts to demonstrate that one would need to earn shed-loads more outside based on contributions to pensions, accommodation subsidies etc. Kind of important for people to understand how their lifestyles are being subsidised and quite responsible in that respect.

Think it is a little misleading to add in gym membership as a benefit though!

MoD can talk till it is blue in the face about what a great package it provides. Only retention will answer whether the competitive/great package is enough for people to want to do the job that goes with it.

Well at least we get a round bit of tin on a ribbon to thank us for our stirling efforts, makes it all worth while, proud to serve, i mean, what more could a man/woman ask for!

Mr Brown said: "I recognise the huge contribution that our armed forces make to the security of the country and we will continue to try to reward our armed forces for the dedication and commitment they show, often in very difficult theatres of war.

Trying is the first step towards failure.:E

As I get older and older I get more and more angry at being lied to by MPs (I know they all do it!), I presume it is largely a case of ....'how stupid do they think I am'....

Anyway, to my point. The BBC site quotes (I can only assume the quote is correct, which may be a dangerous assumption!) Derek Twigg as saying '.... we have an independent pay review body....'. Well, I for one don't consider it to be independent.

http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/gen...eport_2008.pdf

Look at page iii, terms of reference:

In reaching its recommendations, the Review Body is to have regard to the following considerations:
• the need to recruit, retain and motivate suitably able and qualified people taking
account of the particular circumstances of Service life;
• Government policies for improving public services, including the requirement on the
Ministry of Defence to meet the output targets for the delivery of departmental
services;
• the funds available to the Ministry of Defence as set out in the Government’s
departmental expenditure limits; and
• the Government’s inflation target.

To me the last two points destroy any vestage of independence. They basically say in reaching your conclusion take into account how much money the MOD has, and the governments inflation target (2%). So how are they going to recommend anything much more than 2%, say 5% across the board? (in the end it was 2.6%, with an extra 1% snuck in the back door by way of the X-factor).

CPI is currently much higher than 2% anyway... whats the bet the ONS fudge the figures the month the Civil sector wage settlements are due?

With inflation heading upwards, I am betting that the ONS are going to have lots of pressure to fudge... The government desperately need rate cuts which Merv and the BOE will not deliver until the inflation threat has passed.

BEsides, wages should be settled using RPI. I cant remember the last time I snacked on a widescreen tv or filled my car up using an Ipod... CPI seems to be a false measure that suits this corrupt government. :mad:

Salary at age 18: £16,227
Operational Allowance: (182 days) £2,380.56 (during six month tour of Afghanistan)
Longer Separation Allowance: (182 days) £1,132.04
Other perks including dental care and free eye tests: £510
Financial assistance for learning costs: £2,175
Subsidised living accommodation: £425.83
Estimated annual employers' pension contribution: £3,148.04
Total: £25,998.47

What really grips my sheet about this calculation is that it's based on newly in private getting shot at in the sandpit (for 182 days per year). Is he really making use of his £2175 financial assistance for learning costs out in the Stan? And the subsidised living accommodation? How much does a tent cost per month? They're effectively listing the financial benefits of wartime and peacetime concurrently.

When he is not deployed he doesn't get OA or LSA, so that is £3,500 down.

The 'pension contribution' is also not available for the individual to spend, another £3,000 odd down, and presumably is only really effective if sufficient time is served to acrue a pension on leaving, as opposed to a preserved pension at 65?

Don't tell me. Brown is launching a review... which won't report before the next election campaign when, magically, a decision will be made along the lines of "vote for me, I'll give the forces a pay rise!"

I'll believe it when I see it.

And neither do they put their lives on the line repeatedly, come under fire on regular occassions, see their mates torn apart in road side IED attacks and come back from 4 months away a jibbering wreck having been IDF'd to within an inch of their life every day.

Whilst on paper, there are elements of the service package that appear to stack up against what is on offer in civvie street, you really need to take into account what the forces go through in order to get the paltry offerings from a govt who is so dishonest they will even try and spin their way out of trouble by being misleading about those putting their lives on the line for their policies :\

Salary at age 18: £16,227
Operational Allowance: (182 days) £2,380.56 (during six month tour of Afghanistan)
Longer Separation Allowance: (182 days) £1,132.04
Other perks including dental care and free eye tests: £510
Financial assistance for learning costs: £2,175
Subsidised living accommodation: £425.83
Estimated annual employers' pension contribution: £3,148.04
Total: £25,998.47


Agree 100% with JackRyan, this is all spin and made to think soldiers are doing ok and its not, Dental care and eye tests thats bull**** utter bullcrap, Learning costs , nobody can take advantage of these benefits as there are no free days off to go study , OA and LSA are a benefit if you are out of the country for 182 days , thats a crap price to pay for giving up 6 months away from family for an extra 3.4 k per year , they make it sound like they are giving too much to the lads who sacrafice there live every day. I hope the press mention these facts before they make the public think they are getting a good deal

rant over :oh:

OA to go and tax free in theatre I heard.......

Well from our pay boys a few months back they will definatlely not do tax free, its something to do with some rule or some crap they cannot do tax free for a good reason. I think its crap but hey ho im only at the bottom end