Penn would remove controversial retirement act if made Premier
Health Minister Marlon Penn has said he would agree to remove a section of a controversial piece of legislation that helped to regularise the pension packages of lawmakers if he becomes Premier of the territory.
The Retiring Allowances (Legislative Services) Amendment Act, 2021 which is sometimes referred to by members of the public as the ‘greedy bill’, was met with vocal opposition by a group of residents at the time, but this did not force any changes to the law.
Package concerns
“I would remove the [Retiring Allowances] Act,” Penn said on the Talking Points show recently. “I’ve said this publicly before when it was passed — my concern at the time we were discussing and negotiating the retirement Act, was the way that the pension was being calculated.”
Penn said pensions were previously calculated on the basis of the base salary of legislators and not on their entire package.
“For instance, you had [House of Assembly] members. The average salary of a member was $36,000 base — that’s the member’s salary. So members were getting pensions based on that $36,000, not based on all the other allowances and things they were getting [in] their package. But they were being taxed on it,” he said.
Penn argued that if someone is being taxed on something, then this should be calculated as part of their pension.
“That was the component [of the bill] on which we did a review. We did an assessment with a retired politician and I think a judge was part of the team in terms of what would be a reasonable pension or salary for an elected official in the territory,” he said.
I’m not a hypocrite
Penn, in the meantime, said he requested a division of votes (confirmation of a voice vote) in the House of Assembly (HOA) on the issue of how one-term politicians were getting paid their pensions, but was voted down in this request at the time.
“The principle of the bill I supported, but all the other things I did not support,” Penn explained. “I’m not a hypocrite, if I’m going to vote for something, I’m going to vote for it.”
When the legislation was changed two years ago, then-Premier Andrew Fahie said legislators’ retirement benefits at that time did not take their allowances into consideration and he said this is what the law aimed to address.
At the time, Fahie made reference to a legislative adjustment for the retirement packages of judges, and said this news drew little media attention.
“The minute the politicians or elected officials’ retirement adjustment hits, then it’s that they’re taking care of themselves – its that they don’t care about people,” Fahie argued at the time.
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This man voted for it and now talking this foolishness to try to get votes.
Anyone who serves their country for a while should have a reasonable retirement package as this happens worldwide but not those that serve one term.
What a bold face l**r and deceiver.
The further the people of the BVI keep this man from being Premier the better. He cannot be trusted.
8th District need to find someone who can replace Penn. He shouldn’t return to the HOA.
I do not remember him fighting against this when it was being discussed in the parliament so stop trying to fool us. Also, you are man that does not keep your word.
This man is not a good role model. He needs to go. He is a con artist. Right now anyone else is better than him.
I do not know what the retirement package should or should not be but what I know is the one that existed was outdated and needed modernizing.
Penn is telling l**s from the pits of h**l!! He supported everything in the bill I was there!
Some of the word on the street on this man is not encouraging.
Penn must be thinking that we are a pack of a**es?
A band of bloody brigands.
Stop the cap !
But Marlon you voted for the bill, what nonsense you here talking now? You can chat foolishness because either way you will qualify as you are headed for your 4th term if re-elected. If eggs weren’t so expensive we would stand up outside the next HOA and egg all of ayo lying MS!
How is he going to be Premier when he isn’t even officially the leader of his party? This guy drinking mushroom tea or just day dreaming.
You will learn. Lying is like the new truth to these conmen.
He actually does think we are a pack of horse radish. That’s why he goes on air and lie. he was for the retirement bill. Just like he was for transferring the sewage money. He cannot fool me though.
The serpent is deadly but this one is the deadliest trickster of them all.
thought he was gonna say to lower or remove a pension for people who, for the last 30 years, basically provided $10 of service and goods to bvi for every $100 they wasted. aka, a retirement bonus for $1billion of misappropriated $’s to the folks that didn’t do their jobs right. society that respected themselves would revolt in the face of such self serving colonialists. the capital being gov building. the colonies being every poor bvislander’s pocket. done
Well I, BVI islanders, at their best, crab mentality!
How many HOA members has lie, make adjustments to their speech, promised something they know,would not be delivered, but tell us anyway it was so.
How man politicians tells us for the passes forty years the lies over and over again, and we vote for them.
So, get with it, as this is fo all ah we.