Holy Cow public sector pensions untouched!

[Question R24U]

Each of the post budget contributors (bar the ICTU rep) on ironically RTE have laid into the guaranteed state pension for the public sector. One suggested it should be taxed as a benefit in kind. Comparisions were made with private sector workers who may not have any or have seen theirs drop in the last few weeks. Why has it been left untouched? 1) politicians have at least one of them 2) the government is afraid of the public sector unions/voters or 3)it is accepted that it is one of the payoffs (along with tenure, benchmarking and INCREMENT pay increases) for giving up their ambition. As the OECD report has shown there are many myths in relation to the public sector, is this one of them?

[JCSkinner]

Each of the post budget contributors (bar the ICTU rep) on ironically RTE have laid into the guaranteed state pension for the public sector. One suggested it should be taxed as a benefit in kind. Comparisions were made with private sector workers who may not have any or have seen theirs drop in the last few weeks. Why has it been left untouched? 1) politicians have at least one of them 2) the government is afraid of the public sector unions/voters or 3)it is accepted that it is one of the payoffs (along with tenure, benchmarking and INCREMENT pay increases) for giving up their ambition. As the OECD report has shown there are many myths in relation to the public sector, is this one of them?

Note that they also hit the tax allowances for private sector pensions.
This really is a total disgrace.

[Clanrickard]

Note that they also hit the tax allowances for private sector pensions.
This really is a total disgrace.

Agreed. Unbelievably we have the National Treasury Management Fund set up to ensure their pensions are secure.

[patslatt]

Each of the post budget contributors (bar the ICTU rep) on ironically RTE have laid into the guaranteed state pension for the public sector. One suggested it should be taxed as a benefit in kind. Comparisions were made with private sector workers who may not have any or have seen theirs drop in the last few weeks. Why has it been left untouched? 1) politicians have at least one of them 2) the government is afraid of the public sector unions/voters or 3)it is accepted that it is one of the payoffs (along with tenure, benchmarking and INCREMENT pay increases) for giving up their ambition. As the OECD report has shown there are many myths in relation to the public sector, is this one of them?

Throw the rascals out in the next election,provided Fine Gael agrees to phase out final salary pensions both for new employees and,over a period of 10 years or so, for all existing employees in the public sector. Generous final salary pensions for the public sector are a relic of times past,if any, when public sector pay was low relative to the private sector and final salary pensions compensated for that.

[JCSkinner]

Throw the rascals out in the next election,provided Fine Gael agrees to phase out final salary pensions both for new employees and,over a period of 10 years or so, for all existing employees in the public sector. Generous final salary pensions for the public sector are a relic of times past,if any, when public sector pay was low relative to the private sector and final salary pensions compensated for that.

We can't afford ten years either. This needs to be addressed now. I hope that the public will inform Zanu-FF what they think about this budget at the locals.

Skin Flicks: Budget carnage

[Question R24U]

I thought the civil servant on rte news tonight complaining about the 200
Euro carpark tax was another example of not appreciating the view that is around about the civil servants being privilied. On another topic, how far down has the 10% pay surrender trickled? What next? complaining about the rising cost of their subsidised restaurants? This things annoy people, but the pension costs seems to be overlooked time and time again.