Taipei, April 1 (CNA) The Executive Yuan will request a revote from lawmakers on recently passed measures that effectively raise retirement pensions for policemen, firefighters and other members of law enforcement and the emergency services.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the Cabinet would, pending President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) approval, ask the Legislature to hold a revote on the amendments to the Police Personnel Management Act in an effort to overturn legislation it regards as “difficult to implement.”
The amendments include measures raising the income replacement rate for retired police officers, firefighters, immigration officers, and personnel in the Coast Guard and the National Air Service Corps to as much as 80 percent.
The amendments, supported by lawmakers from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), will be applied retroactively.
Currently, the pension plans for law enforcement and emergency services personnel are the same as other public servants, with the cap on the income replacement rate set to gradually decrease to 60 percent by 2029.
Although the amendments were adopted on Jan. 7, the Legislature did not announce them until March 24.
In its press release, the Cabinet said the measures would “impact the financial stability” of the public service pension system and undermine its fairness, and subsequently affect the rights of both acting and retired public servants.
The opposition party lawmakers failed to consult with the executive body before pushing through the measures that will greatly increase government spending, the Cabinet said, which it claimed violates Article 91 of the Budget Act.
The article stipulates that “legislators shall seek comments from the Executive Yuan and point out sources of complement funds” if they “propose bills that largely increase annual expenditures or decrease annual revenues.”
The release cited Cho as saying that the government had provided additional benefits to members of law enforcement and the emergency services on account of their unique work environments and workload.
He added that the Cabinet request was made in accordance with the Constitution, which states that the executive body may — with the president’s approval — request a legislative revote on legislation lawmakers have passed, if it considers such a law “difficult to implement.”
Opposition lawmakers argued that the pension plans for law enforcement and emergency services personnel should be adjusted to levels comparable to those of the armed forces, citing the higher pressure they face due to high-risk duties, and long and rotating work hours.
They also noted that some section of the police force are now required to carry out “military training” so they can be deployed to protect power plants, science parks and other critical infrastructure during times of war.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Civil Services have said the measures would increase the financial burden facing the public service pension system, which is strained by decreased revenue.
The ministry warned that the system is expected to have an estimated shortfall of NT$170 billion (US$5.1 billion) over the next 50 years and that this amount will eventually fall on all taxpayers.
