State Sector Bill

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 16

State Sector Bill

Sir, —I do not know why the Government does not come clean and reveal its true long-term plans for education; i.e., that principals buy their own schools and run them on the user-pays system, in line with Landcorp, Ministry of Forestry and Petrocorp, with Air New Zealand land Telecom to come. After all, parents will be prepared to pay for performance! — Yours, etc., PIPPA FOLEY. March 15, 1988. .

Sir, —Having read of the benefits which public servants receive in the course of their employment I am not surprised they are fighting to retain them. However, as a taxpayer working in the private sector, I am dismayed to think that my taxes are paying’ for them and I can now better understand the size of the Government deficit. One) aspect of the Government’s expensive advertisement directed To public servants which I have noted in particular is that trie benefit of superannuation is to continue. That means superannuation subsidised by the taxpayer. This is at the time when private ; employer-subsidised superannuation schemes ! are being deliberately extinguished by tax changes. This will be the inevitable result of employer contributions ceasing to be ’ taxdeductible and, instead, being subject to fringe benefit tax. Public servants will be, naturally,; anxious to preserve such priviI lege. — Yours, etc., j ’ J. MARSHALL. March 17, 1988. • I