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Back Opinion An administrative solution

An administrative solution

Friday, 24 Feb 2012 04:00am
VARIETY NEWS STAFF
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AS THE number of Marines and their dependents who will be permanently stationed here on Guam has spiraled downward – from more than 18,000 initially to well under 5,000 now – concern has been expressed that the amount of federal income tax to be remitted to Guam under Section 30 of the Organic Act will decline.


The reason is that thousands of the Marines to be sent to Guam may simply be rotated through here, staying for less than six months at a time for training and R&R, and none of the taxes they pay on the money they earn while here would go into the Guam Treasury, because they won’t be here long enough. Six months is thought to be the cutoff for Section 30 money.

But the hit on the GovGuam Treasury may not be as bad as feared. Delegate Madeleine Bordallo, her staff, and Gov. Eddie Calvo and his top advisers are looking into the possibility that the six-month period for so-called TDY, or temporary duty personnel, to be here before their taxes can be returned to Guam can be changed administratively. There may not be a need to do it with legislation. Taxes on all the money earned by military personnel on Guam could come back.

There will probably need to be some timeframe – a month or two – but there is nothing fixed in law about that six months, which could mean many millions more in income for Guam. Income taxes paid by U.S. citizens and companies here are the primary source of funds to operate the government of Guam.

One of Gov. Calvo’s key people asked us to keep this information under our hat; but during discussions on K-57 Radio following Bordallo’s speech Tuesday, she and her assistants mentioned they are taking the administrative approach in their discussions with the Department of Defense. So the hat’s off. If they’re talking about it on the radio, we will write about it.

Gov. Calvo is in Washington for the next few days. He’ll be trying to pin down the latest number of Marines to be stationed on Guam. We mentioned the 2,500 figure we’re hearing, and he seemed pleased it is that many, saying some of the numbers he’s heard are as low as 500. But he and his advisers will also be investigating the possibility of assuring Section 30 money will come to Guam from the taxes paid by all troops here for temporary duty training, whether in the Marine Corps, the Air Force, or the Navy.

If that can be done administratively, it will be a huge accomplishment.

 

Comments  

 
-1 #8 Da 2012-03-21 00:18
Quoting john smith:
:cry:

The Army and Marines are the first to be cut

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/obama-cuts-defense-to-the-bone-and-then-some/2012/01/05/gIQACn7HdP_blog.html

:sad:

Hasta...Gotta Bounce

Kim Kardashian is on The View and discussing her new romance with Kobe Bryant

##


Yes Trebor (red ink specialist)
 
 
+1 #7 C W Adams 2012-02-26 02:00
Unlike GovGuam employees, Marines need a mission to go TDY. There has to be something on Guam that they can't do at their duty station (training) in order to go TDY. In order for a Marine to go TDY three people have to swear there is no other way to accomplish the "mission". It seems to me that everyone is missing the point here there is no mission so there is no TDY to Guam.

The Air Force has been building a consolidated training center on Guam for years. Airmen don't come to Guam for 6 months of training they come for two weeks maybe.
 
 
+2 #6 C W Adams 2012-02-25 06:21
Marines are not coming to GUAM for R&R. Not if the soldiers get a choice anywise!
Marines are not coming to Guam for training. There is no place for them to train and the Senate and representative have made it clear "NO MORE LAND" for the US Government.

Marines have three phases "training for deployment", "deployment" and "recovering from deployment". None of these can be done on Guam therefore Marines might land on Guam on their way to one of the three phases.

If Guam wants Marines it has to have something needed to accomplish one one of the phases.
 
 
-2 #5 john smith 2012-02-24 10:16
:sad: :sad:

Al Quada expands into the Pacific....Hmmmm Hope we do get some Marines !

http://hosse.blogspot.com/2012/01/obama-cuts-military.html


Hast[censored]
 
 
-1 #4 john smith 2012-02-24 10:09
:oops: :oops:

Even the liberal FOX News reports on O' bama and Panetta cutting the Army and Marines

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/05/white-house-to-announce-new-defense-strategy-that-cuts-billions-from-military/

:sigh:


##
 
 
-1 #3 john smith 2012-02-24 10:00
:cry:

The Army and Marines are the first to be cut

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/obama-cuts-defense-to-the-bone-and-then-some/2012/01/05/gIQACn7HdP_blog.html

:sad:

Hasta...Gotta Bounce

Kim Kardashian is on The View and discussing her new romance with Kobe Bryant

##
 
 
-1 #2 john smith 2012-02-24 08:24
:-? :-?

All of this discussion presumes Guam will have Marines stationed here at all. Still a possibility that Guam may see few if any Marines stationed here.....The way O' bama is gutting the military and forcing retirements and outright discharging tens of thousands of Army folks, we still have a good chance of not seeing any Marines. Butt O' bama promised and he is a man of his word....Gitmo is still open and he promised to close that in 2009.

:sad:
 
 
+1 #1 nita 2012-02-24 07:11
The return of taxes paid by the marines to GovGuam under section 30 of the Organic Act can easily be accomplished even if they are rotational and here less than six months by simply rotating the marines after 183 days instead of 180. That can be accomplished under the orders of the TDY.
 

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