Posted on 11/19/2008 7:41:01 AM PST by Poundstone
Michael Keller has worked on five continents during his 15 years in the foreign service. He's been in Germany, where the standard of living is pretty good, and the Central African Republic and Cambodia, where he could only hope that his three children suffered nothing more than bumps and bruises because of poor medical care.
He likes his work, but he's always confronted with a big source of frustration -- the overseas pay gap.
When State Department diplomats are posted abroad, they lose locality pay. That's the amount added to a federal worker's salary based on where they work.
Since 1994, when locality pay started, the increase for federal employees in the D.C. area has amounted to almost 21 percent. Moving overseas from the State Department's Foggy Bottom headquarters and other area installations means workers lose that differential.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I am weeping; I’m going to worry all day about this.
I remember when I felt like I was underpaid. I just took a different job.
Admittedly you all don’t get locality, but don’t you get housing allowances or some sort post allowances based on where you are located that approximate locality pay?
But what about the Foreign Earned Income exclusion. When I last worked overseas (2004) the first $90K of income was completely IRS-tax free. Of course, no State tax either.
What a huge benefit that was - it shows how quickly even the average middle class can build real wealth when taxes are low
You could always unionize!
Isn’t the point of locality pay to give you extra money if the place they put you costs more?
If you just keep your extra locality pay no matter where they send you, doesn’t that just make it a raise, and aren’t we back where we started?
Or are you saying that if you get shipped overseas, it costs MORE to live there but they pay you less? I thought there was reimbursements for expenses, and in many cases that there was lodging provided in the embassy grounds.
And the other financial bennies ???
Free housing, tax breaks, free or cheap travel, reinbursements on travel and hotels, etc which is more than you actually paid.....
More than makes up for the lack of “locality” pay...
There should be no inequality whatsoever among those involved in "foreign service".
You bureaucrats should be entitled to the exact same cots, sleeping bags and working hours while in foreign countries as our folks in real uniforms.
Good one thanks.
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