Walwyn collected $276K 'lump sum' from HoA retirement package - Dr Wheatley
Officially called the Retiring Allowances Legislative Service Amendment Act 2021, the Premier speaking at the Eight District campaign launch at East End on Thursday, March 23, 2023, reminded Mr Walywn that it was Hon Penn who voted in favour of the bill while his colleague Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R2) who seconded the act.
Retirement package is 'political wickedness' - Walwyn
“Mr Myron Walwyn said the Retirement Allowances Act is political wickedness. I want Mr Myron Walwyn to tell me now, and tell the people of the Virgin Islands, that Honourable Marlon Penn is politically wicked”, Dr Wheatley said.
Dr Wheatley, in referring to Walwyn as a “glass house” continued to blast him over the comments while noting that Hon Vanterpool was also the one who seconded the Act.
“How many terms does Mark Vanterpool got? Mark Vanterpool has done about five terms. He’s going home with a good package and when it came time to have the third reading of the bill, who seconded it? Mark Vanterpool”, he said.
Dr Wheatley contended that in essence, Walwyn is saying that his colleague Mr Vanterpool is politically wicked while also detailing the amount of money Mr Walwyn reportedly collected as a result of the bill.
Walwyn already collected his 'lump sum' - Dr Wheatley
“Mr Myron Walwyn took home two hundred and seventy-six thousand, two hundred and seventy-four dollars and fifty cents (276,274.50¢). That’s why he could tell you how much, because in one lump sum, he took that home.”
“And every month, on top of that… he’s paid five thousand, five hundred and twenty-five dollars and fifty cents. And he will be paid that for the rest of his life”, he noted.
Meanwhile, the premier also stated that ahead of the passage of the bill, Mr Walwyn was ringing down his phone and enquiring when the bill would go to Cabinet.
Dr Whatley continued, “If you live in a glass house, don’t throw stones. So if I were Mr Myron Walwyn I would’ve leave that alone”, Dr Wheatley said.
Penn & Vanterpool supported bill - Dr The Hon Whealtey
He added that the only person who qualifies for pension for the rest of their life, is Honourable Alvera Maduro-Caines (R6) and those who stand to benefit more from it are Hon’s Vanterpool, Penn, Melvin M. Turnbull (R2), Julian Fraser RA (R3) and the former Premier Andrew A. Fahie.
In re-emphasizing that he sought to have aspects of the bill repealed, Dr Wheatley noted that it was only after Hon Penn realized that the move was not going to affect his allowance, he also supported the move to repeal aspects of the bills after reportedly seeking legal advice.
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53 Responses to “Walwyn collected $276K 'lump sum' from HoA retirement package - Dr Wheatley”
After 2 terms the man entitled to his pension. The adjustment made to salary plus allowances is not bad. However the other parts are ridiculous.
1 (4yrs of doing nothing) term pensioner =25 years as a civil servant( government employee)
Paying the salary of someone fired (voted out) by the people for 2 years and still paying the replacement.
NHI is not good for HOA members but it is good for the civil servants.
Imagine you getting paid for 2 years because you were fired ???? nice VIP nice let's do this for all civil service
Slowande too scared to go back to his old job he. He may need that increment too, lol.
The British do not pay any of the expenses for their reps
talk to the people; is the retirement plan the motive why we have so much of them running in 2023
Long Post Alert ????????????????????????????????????????????????
SUMMARY OF PERTINENT PROVISIONS OF THE RETIRING ALLOWANCES (LEGISLATIVE SERVICE ACT) - No. 15 of 2021 (the “ Greedy Act”)
Why, in my opinion, the Greeedy Act needs to be revisited as a matter of national priority!
The Greedy Act has issues. General and most obvious observations about its shortcomings:
1. In essence, the last House of Assembly gave themselves a raise through the back door that they were unable to achieve through the front door.
2. The approximately 40,000 in salary and $60,000 in allowances were combined as 100,000 in salaries.
3. This was done by amending the definition of “maximum salary” in the Act, which excluded allowances, to include allowances as part of the maximum salary. This then caused the retirement amount to increase. The calculation is now on around $100,000 and not $40,000 as before with prior legislators.
4. Then in addition to this increase in salary, they added additional salaries (by amending section 3 of the Act) to those amounts commensurate with length of time in service. These additional salaries are:
* One full parliamentary term - 2 years salary
* Two full consecutive parliamentary terms - 2 years’ salary
* Three or four full consecutive parliamentary terms - 3 years’ salary
* Five or more full consecutive parliamentary terms - 4 years’ salary.
5. The result seems to be outrageous payment amounts, with a minimum of 300,000 and up to $600,000 in some cases, as I understand it.
6. There is no age requirement for these salaries. They are collected at any time once out of office.
7. At age 65, legislator can collect all salary as a lump sum.
8. Please also understand that Legislators include:
*All persons elected to the House of Assembly
*The Speaker of the House
*The Deputy Speaker of the House
*All Ministers
*Leader of the Opposition
*Junior Ministers
All of the above will benefit from the Greedy Act.
9. These additional salary provisions in section 3 of the Act are only applicable to legislators serving in the Fourth House of Assembly from 12th March 2019 and subsequent Houses of Assembly.
10. Legislators who received gratuity under the provisions visions of Cap 139 (the initial Act) are not entitled to additional gratuity payment.
11. We also need to understand if allowances and emoluments include that moratorium which legislators receive for acting as ministers, Premier and Deputy Premier. It seems to me that a moratorium is an emolument.
12. If I am correct, then with the way we have been giving everyone a chance to be Deputy Premier and Premier, the maximum salary of all legislators will be calculated at the Deputy Premier’s or Premier’s salary (a higher salary than their own), for the purposes of the retirement allowances.
13. This was either not thought through properly or thought through very well. If the latter, I am disappointedly impressed!
14. The politicians make no contribution to this scheme. In Barbados for example, they must contribute 5% of their salary to the pension scheme.
15. There are no disqualifying provisions for bad actors. So good, bad or criminal, the benefits do not lapse by any provisions in the Act. Other countries (Barbados again), have disqualifying provisions.
16. After receiving the pension payments upon ceasing to be a legislator (which can be as low as $300,000 and as much as $600,000 and with a monthly stipend of $5500 or more), if that legislator returns to office, only the monthly payment is suspended. The lump sum is the legislators for keeps.
17. This means that a legislator is paid while in office, then paid while out of office for the four years and then can run again in four years and win to be paid more! With the way party politics operate in the BVI, where we change political parties every four years, almost, definitely every eight years, it’s almost certain that the politicians have already figured this out.
18. If you are paid whether you are in office or out of office (and more handsomely now it seems when you are out of office), then what’s the real incentive to work for the people while in office, when we still pay you while you are out of office and awaiting your chance to return in the next four years?
19. We need to investigate how other jurisdictions approach remuneration packages (compensation and retirement) for legislators and enact a piece of legislation that makes sense and is fair and equitable to the legislators and the tax payers footing the bill.
20. We also need a women’s conference on the Greedy Act! I will come back to that separately shortly.
So she don’t qualify for the sympathy vote.
Let’s go Myron.
Who in stay in to run the country! Give sowande a chance to prove his term he is the most educated and level headed one at this point!! Don’t let in ppl who don’t know anything about politics it’s not like running a business it’s a country!! Be careful who you putting in , look at those who back biting the premier just greedy for power
“Your government has taken up the review of the compensation packages for all our public officers,” he said. “But that is not a legislative amendment. That requires more. So together with the Deputy Governor’s Office, your current government is addressing the remuneration for public officers by making sure that we do a job reclassification as well as salary revision.”
Mr. Fahie said teachers, police officers, customs officers and others have been complaining that they’re not earning enough.
He asked that they give his government more time to solve problems that have been in the making for years. Keep igniri g and u wonder why the public officers currupt. Tgis government dont even help school children. It needs to stop the grreed and the lies and cant pay increments for five years and cant pay the people who suppose to protect the country.
Ask them to speak to their foreign minister of their country.