An update to this item from Dec. 27th on troop pay claw backs at The Torch;
I’ve been told that a pay system computer glitch was the next step in this problem. Apparently, there was no provision in the software code to split a designation on a single mission between those with tax exemption and those without, and a manual fix was required. That is to say, a pay clerk had to go into the system and force the pay codes to RA 1 for the members who didn’t qualify for the exemption. You can read the unclassified pay memo on the issue by clicking here.
Unfortunately, two of the soldiers in Addis Ababa were given the tax exemption when it wasn’t due to them yet, and so received thousands of dollars more in net pay than they qualified for. This is what prompted the crap-a-gram to a friend that pushed the story into the public sphere.
While it looks like progress has been made, the problem isn’t completely solved yet, and there’s more information at the link on how you can get in touch with your Conservative MP or the PMO to be sure it does.
Kate:
With a virtual army of computer programmers, bureaucrats, accountants and lawyers; the government can’t design a payroll system with ‘flags’ for various categories and risk assessment.
This should be somewhat easier than dealing with various African diseases or the occasional bullet from rioters in Ethiopia.