TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan's legislature passed a third reading of an amendment to increase retirement pensions for police officers, firefighters, Coast Guard, immigration staff, and members of the National Air Service Corps members on Tuesday.
A key point in the legislation was increasing the upper limit of the monthly retirement income replacement rate to 43.25% for those in service for 15 years, with the rate going up 1.75% per year until it reaches 80% for those serving 36 years or more, per CNA.
A vote on the amendment in the legislature was largely along party lines with a KMT-TPP coalition overcoming DPP opposition by a final vote of 60-49 with one abstention.
In response to the amendment, Shih Ning-jye (施能傑), minister of Civil Service, said civil servants who retired with a maximum pension replacement ratio of 60% might consider the improved pension benefits for police and firefighters unfair. Shih said other civil servants such as educators will maintain the original 60% pension ceiling until 2029.
After the passage of the amendment, KMT and TPP legislative causes said raising pension benefits was necessary due to the heavy burden undertaken by this group. Furthermore, raising pensions should be a reward for the dangerous and high-pressure nature of their work.
DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) said passage of the amendment will spur division among civil servants and promote generational antagonism. Wu added that the DPP stands with all civil servants and also defends the rights and interests of young people as it opposed yesterday’s pension amendment vote.
Passage of the third reading of the amendment also instructs the Cabinet to allocate funds from the public service budget annually for increased expenditures associated with the civil servants’ retirement pension fund.
The DPP alleges the amendment to the Police Personnel Management Act (警察人員人事條例) violates the principle of equality in Article 7 of the Constitution.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said his party would seek a constitutional interpretation of the amended bill, potentially delaying or preventing the amendment from being implemented.
