Public sector pension reforms revealed

Proposals subject to more debate and consultation

Pay more, for longer, to end up receiving less - the harsh reality of new public sector pension proposals to be put before Tynwald next month.

It means employee contributions going up by a further 2.5% of their pay across the board in the Government Unified Scheme, and benefit reductions for both current members (from this point on) and new ones.

Accrued benefits will not be touched.

The aim is to reduce the overall cost of providing benefits, and reducing the employer's (ie. the government's and ultimately the taxpayer's) contribution.

The document will go before Tynwald, after which it will go out to further consultation, including a public one.

A second report looks at addressing the funding gap - which the above does not - by relying on a portion of predicted extra income from economic growth to help plug some of it.

Policy and Reform Minister John Shimmin is the vice chair of the PSPA: