Civil List Act 1979

Civil List Act 1979
New Zealand Parliament
An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to the civil list
Date of Royal Assent 26 October 1979
Related legislation
Electoral Act 1993
Status: Current legislation

The Civil List Act 1979 is a statute of the Parliament of New Zealand which defines the allowances, salaries and annuities of the Governor-General, Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament.

Analysis

The Act is divided into 27 sections, over four parts.

Part One: Governor-General

This part defines the salary and allowance of Governor-General. It also includes provision for an annuity for former Governors-General and spouses or partners of former Governors-General, compensation for lost or adversely affected superannuation rights, and travelling expenses.

Section 7 of the Act grants the Governor-General an exemption from taxation.

This part was repealed and replaced by the Governor-General Act 2010.

Part Two: Ministers and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries

Part two of the Act defines payments to Ministers of the Crown and Parliamentary Under-Secretaries.

Part Three: Remuneration

Part three of the Act determines the remuneration of Ministers of the Crown, Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, and members of Parliament. It establishes the Remuneration Authority to fix salaries and allowances for MPs, and includes provisions for the Speaker of House of Representatives and Chairpersons of Committees.

Section 20 of the Act allows for deductions to be made from members' salaries and allowances, and defines travel, accommodation, attendance, and communications services for members.

Part Four: Miscellaneous provisions

Part four of the Act grants annuity for former Prime Ministers and spouses or partners of former Prime Ministers. The Act also defines payments to spouse or partner, or dependent children of member of Parliament dying in office.

Review

In 2008, the New Zealand Law Commission began a review of the Act.[1] In a press release, Law Commission President Sir Geoffrey Palmer said "The Act has not been comprehensively reviewed for many years. Some of its provisions are outdated. Some of the language is archaic. There is some unnecessary overlap between this Act and other legislation which creates complexity."[2]

The review was completed in December 2009. The Law Commission recommended that part 1 of the Civil List Act be repealed, and replaced with a new statute to reflect the nature of the modern office of Governor-General. The most significant change would be that the Governor-General is no longer exempt from paying income tax on their salary. The changes proposed in the report would take effect for the appointment and term of the next Governor-General.[3] The Governor-General Bill was introduced into Parliament on 28 June 2010.[4] It was passed as the Governor-General Act 2010.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Review of Civil List Act 1979 Review". New Zealand Law Commission. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  2. ↑ "Review of the Civil List Act 1979 – Issues Paper for Consultation". New Zealand Law Commission. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  3. ↑ "Review of the Civil List Act 1979: Law Comm Report". New Zealand Law Commission. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
  4. ↑ "Parliament of New Zealand - Order Paper" (PDF). Parliament of New Zealand. 30 June 2010.
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