The new Congress budget includes the option of raising the salary of deputies by 2%
The new budget of the Congress of Deputies for the year 2022 that the Board of the Lower House plans to approve this Tuesday contemplates the possibility of increasing the salary of deputies by 2%, as confirmed by parliamentary sources. At the moment, the accounts show an increase in the salary of parliamentarians with that percentage, but at the moment no agreement has been reached to increase salaries.
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The decision, according to sources in Congress, will be taken when the increase in the salaries of officials is agreed, so in no case does the approval of the budget - which does include this 2% provision - implies such an automatic increase.
Despite this, the spokesman for United We Can in Congress, Pablo Echenique, rushed last night to emphasize that his group will not support said rise. "This afternoon [por el lunes] We have received a proposal at the Board of Congress to raise the salary of the deputies by 2% in 2022. "Advancement from now that the deputies of United We Can-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común will vote tomorrow against this proposal. it seems necessary, "Echenique remarked through a tweet.
Also the ERC spokesman in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, ventured his rejection at a press conference. And the spokesman for Ciudadanos in Congress, Edmundo Bal, considered the increase "unnecessary and insensitive to what Spanish families are going through."
Lower House sources explain to elDiario.es that last year's budget also included that 2% provision, which ultimately did not lead to a salary increase for the deputies, who saw their salaries frozen despite the 0.9 rise % of the salary of chamber officials.
The salaries of the deputies
The Economic Regime of Congress states that deputies receive a base salary of 3,050.62 euros per month. To this allowance is added a monthly compensation that varies depending on the province in which they have been elected. Those elected by Madrid are entitled to 935.37 euros per month; while those elected by another province receive compensation amounting to 1,959.62 euros per month. Thus, the annual base salary of the deputies starts from 55,803.86 euros or 70,143.36 -in 14 payments- depending on the monthly compensation that corresponds to them.
If the parliamentarian is a member of the Bureau, the Board of Spokespersons and / or any Commission, his salary can be up to 100,000 euros per year. As a deputy and president of the Chamber, Meritxell Batet is the parliamentarian who earns the most: a total of 230,930.98 gross euros per year.
Congress has been extending its budgets since 2018, but until last year the salary increases agreed for officials were applied to deputies. In January 2019, then with Ana Pastor at the head of the Lower House and a majority of PP and Citizens, the Board of Congress agreed to apply the 2.25% salary increase expected for officials to deputies.
In February 2020, Congress transferred to its staff and deputies the 2% salary increase agreed for public employees of the General State Administration, an increase that the Government was also applied by decree law.
