Starting next year, the more public money Slovak lawmakers spend, the less they will earn for themselves, thanks to the draft bill adopted by the government yesterday, which ties the salaries of MPs to the public deficit, reports the AFP.
If the law manages to make it through parliament, MPs will earn 15.6% less in 2011, with the percentage being set as double the projected 2010 public finance deficit (7.8%). Even if the deficit falls to 5% or so of the GDP next year, their salaries will be cut by around 10% in 2012.
Ondrej Dostal from Most-Hid believes the law would motivate MPs to be more responsible with public money. “Lawmakers are responsible for passing the state budget in parliament, and so are responsible for the depth of the deficit,” Dostal said.
“It’s a symbolic gesture to show that lawmakers, who earn around EUR 3,500 a month, will join the rest of the public sector in tightening their belts,” added Dostal.
All the ruling coalition parties agree with the system but the Christian democrats from KDH want to simplify the formula that it contains, by reducing MPs salaries from 3 times the average national wage to 2.7 times this figure.
The salaries are being revised as part of austerity measures introduced by the government to combat the high GDP deficit that it inherited from the previous government in June. Opposition MPs are not so enthusiastic about the proposal, however, proposing a freeze on current salaries instead.
What a joke. €6500/yr versus all the graft opportunities inherent to being an MP? I’m sure they’ll do the math and take the “official” pay cut while chortling all the way to the bank with their other proceeds.