Madam, – My student daughter obtained a three-week temporary cleaning job at Trinity College.
She received her first pay cheque for the first two weeks’ work, and on her payslip was the phrase “pension related deduction” €11.65 and income levy €10.28.
I queried this with Trinity salaries department and was informed it was correct – my daughter must pay the public service pension levy even though she is a casual employee working for only three weeks. Justifying the “pension” levy, the Government has said that public servants must make a bigger contribution to their generous pensions.
How can it be correct that she must pay this? She must also pay the income levy even though her pay is below the threshold. Trinity will give her a certificate of income levy deduction when she leaves next week. She then has to wait until next year to reclaim it, if she can prove that in 2009 she didn’t earn more than the amount allowed!
The Government says it was punished in the local and European elections because of the hard decisions it had to take. It has not implemented any of the cuts announced in the April budget for TDs’ increments, pensions and allowances.Yet it takes a pension contribution from a temporary worker on €285 gross per week, who will not get a pension! – Yours, etc,