The Tribune

Editor, The Tribune.

I would like to ask this question:

If you are an employer, and you are increasing salaries because you say you are hiring more people, then in addition to your salaries total on your budget sheet increasing, your national insurance contributions you pay as an employer should also increase for the new staff members you are taking on.

But if your salaries total has a substantial increase, and the national insurance payout of yours remains the same even though your budget sheet is saying you are taking on extra people - how is that possible?

Either you are saying as an employer, you are not paying NIB contributions for your new hires – or there are no new hires.

If you announce to your company that you are "holding the line" as an employer, then you are not raising salaries of existing staff or hiring new people above the level allotted in your previous budget.

And on your Budget Sheet, your promotions and reclassification total for the areas that are showing a major salary item increase is set at nil, which means there are no raises (promotions) allotted in your budget for existing staff in those areas.

So then, where is this extra money going?

A CURIOUS BAHAMIAN

Nassau,

May 31, 2012.