BRATISLAVA, December 2, (WEBNOVINY) — Parliament approved Thursday reducing salaries of parliamentary deputies by 15 percent if the general government deficit is higher than 7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The deputies approved the Coalition’s draft amendment to the law on terms of payment of some constitutional officials. Out of 145 present deputies, 78 lawmakers voted for lowering deputies’ salaries. All 78 coalition deputies present in Parliament voted for the change of the legislation, all deputies of opposition SMER-SD and SNS refrained from voting.
While the original amendment assumed that salaries would be decreased by so-called “Fico’s levy” amounting to twice the percentage rate of the budget deficit, the approved norm will preserve salaries if the general government deficit is below 3 percent of GDP, otherwise the reduction will be categorized but amount to 15 percent at most. The lawmakers will lose 5 percent of their salaries if the deficit ranges between 3 and 5 percent of GDP, 10 percent with deficit between 5 and 7 percent and they would receive as much as 15 percent lower salaries if the deficit exceeds 7 percent.
The revised law also brings cancellation of the thirteenth and fourteenth salary of county chairmen, capping of bonuses for political officials in civil service to 20 percent of the annual income and modification of severance payment for public officials in accordance with the Labor Code. Parliament should also curb lump-sum compensations for MPs, costs on their assistants and rent for deputies’ offices from current EUR 2,500 to EUR 2,025, according to the amending proposal.
Moreover, the deputies’ salaries which have been frozen since 2008 will be “unfrozen”. The new legislation also adjusts salaries of the president, Cabinet members, judges and other constitutional officials. When signed by President, the law will come into force on January 1 of 2011.
SITA
