19/11/2008

TD Wages To Cost Taxpayer €46M This Year

With two pay rises and a tax free expense account worth just under half their basic salary, TDs are to cost taxpayers almost €46 million this year for running, amongst other things, Ireland's economy.

Each of the 166 TDs will receive €110,000 in their basic salary for 2009, an increase of €2,400 on this year’s figure, along with a €43,000 expense account and a €23,000 travel expenses account.

However, this ignores the payment for secretaries, which amounts to just under €100,000, taking the grand total to €276,000 for each individual TD for the year.

Despite the crippling recession, TDs will still be receiving their second pay rise this year as agreed in the national pay deal.

Senators on the other hand receive the relatively nominal sum of €75,300, allowances and expenses of €24,700, a secretarial allowance of €40,100, and travel expenses of €32,300.

The figures released today by the Houses of the Oireachtas, show the for Ireland's elected political leaders, along with Oireachtas staff, office machinery and supplies, phone, internet and postal services, televising of proceedings, pensions and various grants will cost a total of €137m overall, a rise of more than €15m from last year.

Although the Taoiseach and his cabinet ministers have all taken a 10% pay cut, as has Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and some of his front bench, they remain in a tiny minority prepared to take a cut.


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