Prime Minister Iveta Radicova (SDKU-DS) is seeking for ways to combat the public finance deficit also through savings on the costs of MPs salaries and expenses. The proposal will meet with resistance, however, also from certain coalition MPs.
“If the media were to also analyse salaries in the central bank (NBS), their eyes would open”, said Julius Brocka (ruling KDH party), and his colleague, Parliamentary Vice-chairman Pavol Hrusovsky (KDH) said he did not regard the salaries of MPs as anything extraordinary meriting discussion. Coalition partner from Most-Hid, Bela Bugar, said: “It’s possible to support anything, but I would like to see just how the government and ministers will make savings”.
Finance Minister Ivan Miklos (SDKU) recently announced that he was considering levying a tax on the one-off compensations of up to EUR 1,608 a month that MPs receive. Brocka from KDH explained that taxing these compensation payments could be seen as double taxation, as they are intended to cover MP’s expenses for taxis, use of their own car, participation in conferences and the purchase of books etc. The base salary of an MP is EUR 2,900 a month.