76-04-A3
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Tax Reform II[edit]
Transcript[edit]Yesterday I talked about tax reform that wasn't tax reform. Now hear where some of your tax money is going. The other day a news story caught my eye and in case you missed it, here are the highlights. We all are familiar with that curved glass building on the Hudson in New York City, the modern tower of Babel where the U.N. delegates toil so much and produce so little. But I was surprised and maybe you will be, too, to learn there are some 10,000 U.N. employees in what is called the United Nation's European Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. I know it's customary to give some bonus or extra pay to overseas personnel, but I always thought that was to compensate for the hardship of living in primitive or unattractive areas, climate-wise, etc. Geneva, Switzerland hardly qualifies as such. Let me assure you the 10,000 U.N. employees there are not exactly underprivileged. Messengers who push a cart through the corridors doling out inter-office mail receive $413.00 a week. According to the news story, a press officer who serves as liaison with the "German speaking press" gets $1,000 a week. Secretaries struggle along on $350.00 and junior executives draw $555.00. All 10,000 get at least six weeks paid vacation a year. And among the other fringe benefits are allowances for their children's schooling, extra pay for speaking foreign languages and extremely good pensions. Just one other thing I shouldn't overlook; because they work for an international organization, they don't have to pay any income tax at all. The director of the U.N. Press Division in New York explains that under General Assembly Regulations, they must pay the best prevailing rate in any community where they are stationed. Yes, I can understand that a delegate or employee from an underdeveloped nation, where living costs and salaries are very low, must be paid commensurate with the pay scale of the land where he'll be stationed, but this still doesn't explain what's going on in Geneva. An official at the Swiss Embassy in Washington says the average messenger working for the Swiss government in Geneva earns between $135.00 to $212.00 a week, which is considerably less than the $413.00 the U.N. pays. He adds that by any standard U.N. pay scales are tops. Perhaps you already know, but in case you don't, Uncle Sam still picks up one fourth of the total tab for the cost of the United Nations. Not too long ago Congress didn't feel that was enough and proposed increasing our contribution by $44 million. We are a generous people. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for Listening. |
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