Bundestag - Left party fails with suspension of diet increase
The Left's proposal in the Bundestag to postpone this year's increase in allowances failed. Union, SPD, Greens, and FDP voted against the corresponding bill in parliament. The AfD abstained. The Bundestag had previously suspended allowance increases multiple times for various reasons. The Left is currently arguing with the strained budget situation and the general social and economic situation. The planned allowance increase is the largest in the past 30 years, which will cause rejection in the public.
Allowances are a sensitive issue. The parliament must decide on increases itself according to the Federal Constitutional Court. However, there have been criticisms in the past about a perceived self-serving behavior. Therefore, the parliament decided ten years ago to link the development of allowances to wage development in the future, resulting in an automatic annual adjustment, like with pensions.
11,227 Euro per month plus operating expenses allowance
In the previous year, wages in Germany also rose significantly due to high tariff agreements. This increase was transferred to allowances on July 1, raising them from 10,592 to 11,227 Euro. A benchmark for allowances are the remunerations of federal judges. Allowances are taxed. In addition, there is a tax-exempt operating expenses allowance of currently 5,052 Euro for costs related to the exercise of the mandate, such as rent for the constituency office, office supplies, and accommodation in Berlin.
The Union states that the automatic adjustment mechanism is a transparent, fair, and understandable procedure that orients itself retrospectively on general wage development. During the Corona pandemic, for example, this led to a reduction in allowances. This was the case in 2021. The FDP faction sees it similarly. The mechanism orients itself on factual criteria, and the consequences for allowances no longer lie in the hands of the parliamentarians. Exactly that is the point. The AfD is for a completely different model: Allowances should allegedly be based on the income that an MP had before their time in the Bundestag, with an additional surcharge.
The Basic Law speaks of "adequate compensation"
In the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, it was stipulated that parliamentarians have a claim to "adequate, their independence securing compensation." An SPD parliamentarian, Nils Schmid, writes on his website that the goal is to ensure that parliamentarians are financially independent and do not have to engage in secondary activities or take donations, so they can freely exercise their mandate. "Moreover, it should be prevented that only those who can financially afford it hold political offices."
- Despite The Left's proposal to postpone the annual allowance increase in the Bundestag, it was rejected by Union, SPD, Greens, and FDP, with the AfD abstaining.
- The Bundestag has suspended allowance increases in the past due to various reasons, and the current proposal for an increase, the largest in 30 years, has sparked public debate.
- According to the Federal Constitutional Court, the parliament is responsible for deciding on allowance increases, but there have been criticisms in the past about perceived self-serving behavior.
- The FDP agrees with the Union that the automatic adjustment mechanism for allowances, which is based on general wage development, is transparent, fair, and reduces the influence of parliamentarians in setting their own allowances.
- The AfD, on the other hand, proposes a different model for allowances, suggesting that they should be based on an MP's income before their time in the Bundestag, with an additional surcharge, which has not gained support in the parliament.
