As part of ongoing pension reform efforts, the Executive Yuan yesterday finalized draft amendments to the Act of Military Service for Officers and Noncommissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官服役條例) that set the monthly minimum pension for retired military personnel at NT$38,990 and the timeframe for abolishing an 18 percent preferential interest rate on their savings accounts at 10 years after the amendments take effect.
The amendments stipulate that military pensions are to be calculated based on a “55+2” formula: 55 percent of double a service member’s base salary over the final five years of their service, which is to increase by 2 percent each year until reaching a maximum of 90 percent for officers or 95 percent for noncommissioned officers.
Retired military personnel who still benefit from the 18 percent preferential interest rate would see their interest earnings reduced if the sum of their pension and interest exceeds the total derived by the “55+2” rule, the draft amendments say.
Photo: Cheng Hung-ta, Taipei Times
The cut is to be implemented over a maximum of 10 years so that the sum of pension and interest matches the total to which retired military personnel are eligible to receive under the amended pension system.
The reform would not affect retired military personnel whose pensions are less than NT$38,990 or whose income replacement ratio is less than 55 percent, Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-yi (林萬億) told a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei.
The new rules are expected to go into effect on July 1, along with pension cuts for public-school teachers and civil servants, after they pass a legislative review, he said.
The military pension reform would affect 56,312 — or about 48 percent — of retired military personnel, including 5,050 former noncommissioned officers, Veterans Affairs Council Deputy Minister Lu Chia-kai (呂嘉凱) said.
Separately yesterday, veterans group 800 Heroes commander Wu Chi-liang (吳其樑) and spokesman Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), who are both retired lieutenant generals, delivered another petition to the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, which was received by Legislative Yuan Deputy Secretary-General Kao Ming-chiu (高明秋).
The petition called for a constitutional interpretation of the proposed military pension reform to determine whether its scope should include retired military personnel who already receive pensions.
If the Council of Grand Justices finds the proposed reform constitutional, the group would end its opposition, Wu Sz-huai said, adding that otherwise, the proposed amendment should exclude existing pensioners.
The Cabinet’s proposal is not based on legitimate expectations, making it beneficial to active-service personnel, but harmful to former military personnel, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said.
The Cabinet did not ensure sufficient communication before unveiling the draft, for which it was required to hold public hearings to better gauge the opinions of active and former military personnel before a review, she said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old