Taxpayers group takes aim at MLA pension plan
Posted May 28, 2012 1:49 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is launching a campaign aimed at scrapping what it calls another gold-plated pension program for Alberta MLA’s.
CTF spokesperson Scott Hennig says if the proposal is approved, many MLA’s will leave office with pensions of more $52,000 a year, pensions most of the general public couldn’t afford.
“You’d have to have $822,000 in RRSP’s that you would then take and buy a pension with to achieve the same level of pension, the $52,740 a year, which is what a three-term, a 12 year MLA will receive,” Hennig tells 660News. “Over $52,000 per year, indexed for life. If it was you or I … to put away that kind of money, we would need to save — over 12 years — over $822,000 to purchase the same kind of pension.”
Hennig says disgruntled Albertans need to sound off about the scheme and soon.
“There’s lots of ways to say no,” he adds, “and we need to get on this before these MLA’s just quietly walk away into summer and hope everyone stops paying attention.”
The CTF is urging taxpayers to call their MLA to protest the pension proposal which will soon be discussed by an all party committee.
It has more information about the campaign and a petition on its website at http://taxpayer.com/issues/alberta/ab-no-gold-plated-mla-pensions
