[File Photo]

The Special Committee on Emoluments, which was tasked with reviewing the salaries, allowances, and benefits of Members of Parliament, recommends the reinstatement of tax and the duty-free purchase of a vehicle for Cabinet Ministers.

In the Committee’s review report, noted that this benefit was in place prior to 2007 and suggested that it be reinstated, highlighting the amount of travel by all Members of Parliament in their role as elected officials.

It says all MPs should be eligible for one vehicle per term.

The Committee, led by the Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, further says that ministers and ministers shall have access to government quarters in

Suva is a form of accommodation at the same rate as all public servants.

According to the Ministry of Finance, officers stationed in Suva can access government quarters at 10 percent of the market rate.

It further recommends that the Speaker of Parliament and the Opposition Leader be given official residencies.

It says currently they do not have an official residence, and prior to 2007, there was an official residence for the Speaker of Parliament, which needs to be reinstated, and this benefit also extends to the Leader of the Opposition.