BMA Scotland rejects “barely concealed tax” on pensions
BMJ 2011; 343 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d7587 (Published 23 November 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;343:d7587
BMA Scotland has rejected entirely the plan to increase pension contributions by up to six percentage points by 2014 for public sector workers.
The Scottish government is conducting a consultation on increases to employees’ contribution rates that mirror those proposed for England (BMJ Careers, 12 Oct, http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20004963).
In its response to the consultation, the BMA has said that the increase in contributions is a “barely concealed tax” on the members of the NHS Superannuation Scheme “to pay for an economic deficit to which they did not contribute or in any way cause.”
The BMA has also expressed its displeasure at the Scottish government laying the blame at Westminster for the proposed contribution increases.
“It is the Scottish government’s responsibility to determine how it allocates its resources, and if it chooses to increase NHS employee pension contributions rather than make savings elsewhere, it is responsible for that decision,” BMA Scotland said.