Muscat’s pay includes honorarium – PM
Former Speaker Louis Galea received an honorarium
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday claimed The Times " got it wrong" when it reported that the Opposition Leader was the only MP not to be paid for his parliamentary duties.
Leader of the Opposition Joseph Muscat's salary is simply a higher honorarium than that received by MPs, according to the Prime Minister. The Times this week revealed that Joseph Muscat never received the "double salary" he had been promised – which he had vowed to donate to charity.
Dr Gonzi now says Dr Muscat's parliamentary honorarium is " included" in his Opposition Leader's salary which is simply a higher honorarium than that received by MPs.
But the government had previously said that Dr Muscat would receive an honorarium over and above his salary. This decision was taken by Cabinet in May 2008 – shortly after the election – when it was decided that ministers and parliamentary secretaries would keep their MP honorarium. ( It also decided the honorarium would be increased, a decision that was later reversed following public outcry.)
The decision was only announced officially last December in response to a parliamentary question , when Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said: " Cabinet decided on May 5, 2008 that the Prime Minister, Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, the Speaker and the Opposition Leader will no longer lose the honoraria, which is paid to other MPs."
Dr Gonzi now says Dr Muscat is "not a government employee" and, therefore, only deserves his salary, which incorporates his wage for parliamentary duties.
However, even the Speaker is entitled to an honorarium over and above his salary.
In fact, former Speaker Louis Galea had been paid an honorarium during his short term, while current Speaker Michael Frendo was given the option of retaining his honorarium but instead chose to keep his private sector job, which is what Speakers normally do.
As things stand, the Opposition Leader is paid a basic salary of € 38,000, the Prime Minister earns € 76,000, ministers are paid €69,000 and parliamentary secretaries earn € 67,000.
The Times yesterday asked the Office of the Prime Minister whether such a discrepancy made sense (since before 2008 the salaries of the Opposition Leader and ministers were practically equal).
A spokesman simply said: " In January this issue was referred to the House Business Committee. As already stated, no agreement has been reached and hence the case is now closed."
Interestingly, there was no agreement in the House Business Committee because the government wanted to restrict the discussions to whether the honoraria of MPs should be raised but the opposition wanted to widen the discussion to the revision of salaries for all politicians – including that of ministers, parliamentary secretaries and the Opposition Leader.
Meanwhile, Dr Muscat told The Times that Dr Gonzi was not denying him the money because he had never intended to keep it. " But he is denying charities that would have received it," he said.
Dr Muscat was expected to get more than € 130,000 over five years and should have received the money backdated.
He added that while the Prime Minister and his Cabinet gave themselves a raise of almost € 500 per week, the public was only given € 1.16 increase.
He said the government had tried to include him in their decision to give themselves a raise but the hypocrisy had now become clear.
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A. Borg
Apr 28th 2011, 18:56
U iva sa ftit taz-zmien iehor u jkun hu li jibda jiehu nofs il-paga tal-Prim Ministru lejn id-dar!
Ms G Schembri
Apr 28th 2011, 16:26
Was just looking at my payslip, 10% goes to Social Security, another 12% goes to income tax, not to metion more than 50% of my petrol money, and 18% on many of the services and things I pay for. Then the cabinet give themselves a payrise of 500 euro a week. Just imagine how many workers are like me paying taxes just to pay for the pay rise the cabinet gave themselves, while telling our unions that Malta cannot afford a payrise for us mere mortals. To top it all no one is held responsible, whatever happens no one resigns, of course they won't resign where will they find such wages with such good working conditions.
Alfred Muscat
Apr 28th 2011, 17:55
It is very easily to make charity of another's pocket. Maybe then we would flater that we have donated so much in charity. If it comes to charity the Government can donate as much as it loikes without the need to pass it to others to flutter with these donations.
Ms D Galea
May 8th 2011, 11:54
You will be paying a lot more when you start subsidizing the consequences for giving others "a second chance at love". Or did you not know about this?
The guarantee mentioned in the referendum question means that if maintenance will not be given , the man goes to jail. When he goes to jaIL who will then pay the maintenance of the first family and his current wife?
Your taxes WILL GUARANTEE that.
Mr Oliver Cini
Apr 28th 2011, 14:30
I don't that Jospeh is doing at least 40% of the work the PM is doing. so therefore why he should have the same pay, when he is not working towards the country. besides this it's a shame that people in such high places like the PM earns as much a good paid Lawyer working in a private organization.
Paul Giordimaina
Apr 28th 2011, 10:12
What a charitable man anything to win votes.
Carmel Xuereb
Apr 28th 2011, 11:03
And what about your IDOL BOSS what is he doing? Getting richer everyday!!!!!!
Peter Cassar
Apr 28th 2011, 11:49
LOL well it is kind of his job isn't it?If he can do it with charity all the better
George Azzopardi
Apr 28th 2011, 12:28
Anything to show the current governments hypocrisy!!!
Mr Michael Debono
Apr 28th 2011, 15:37
Dr. Gonzithe Prime Minister retaliated against the move by Dr. J. Muscat to give the increase to Charity. Hence Dr. Gonzi seeing that his move did not have the consequences he was ready to invoque refused to pay the increase because it was going to serve other purposes "Charity".
This tells us that Dr. Gonzi our Prime Minister considers money paid to charity as a waste of money. We neverknew it before. We have been edified. How it resembles the word Eddyfied. Reality is stronger than fiction.
Mr M Spiteri
Apr 29th 2011, 12:30
Well I prefer the charitable man a million times more then the deceiver who gave himself and his accomplices hefty increasers and tried to do it behind our back.
Mr C Briffa
Apr 28th 2011, 09:17
@ Mario P. Sciberras din il-petion hi biex tiehu l- onorarja bhal Joseph?? are vera issa min ihawwad l-ahjar.
Alfred Vassallo
Apr 28th 2011, 13:25
@C Briffa. Din forsi PETIZJONI fuq onorarja li ma hax Joseph....imma il Grande Gonzi qabbad u hadom minghajr petizjoni ta xejn, ehh!! ghax min jikmanda jaghmel il Ligi kif irrid.
Carmel Xuereb
Apr 28th 2011, 09:17
Dan Gvern arroganti,jrid jirrombla fuq kullhadd. Qieghed hemm ghal ta' madwaru biss u lic-cittatdin jaghtih bis-sieq. Sirna qisna mmexxin bhas-Sirja, Gordan, u dawn il-pajjizi Gharab kollha u nahlef li kieku bhalissa jkollna nohorgu nipprotestaw bhal dawn l-isejkna ahna jigrilna l-istess insibu l-ARMATA ma wiccna, imma nahseb li mall-ewwel ikollna hafna minnhom li jigu jipprotestaw maghna ghax dawn ukoll qalghu hafna fuq wicchom. O GVERN fitter warrab halli nibdew pagan gdida. Kuragg Joseph il-maggoranza tal-poplu mhux tithassrek imma tinsab warajk. KURAGG.
Mr Anton Falzon
Apr 28th 2011, 12:48
Don't speak non-sense........If you really think that we are really like Siria , Gordan and the other Arab Countries, maybe you should get busy to pack your bags and head off there for a while, I'm sure you'll change your opinion.
Mr C Camilleri
Apr 29th 2011, 14:40
Anton, wasalna fi stat hazin ta biex trid toqghod tikkumparana mas-sirja! mela ma ghadniex niftahru sabiex inkunu bhal pajjizi tal EU?
Philip Hili
May 7th 2011, 18:11
Sur Xuereb,
"O GVERN fittex warrab halli nibdew pagan gdida." Kif tista' tibda pagna gdida meta l-membri tal-PL huma kollha QODMA izjed minn nanna, u kulhadd jaf xi jsarfu - SWAT U VENDIKAZZJONIJIET??????
Eric Gahn
Apr 28th 2011, 08:22
It is 600 euros not 500 a week that they decided to award themselves without meriting it.
Mr Mario P. Sciberras
Apr 28th 2011, 07:30
go to http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/deborah
Mr Slim Bartolo
Apr 28th 2011, 09:35
sounds like an uprising.. All for one and none for all
Mr Joseph Brincat
Apr 28th 2011, 09:41
THIS IS NOT DEMOCRACY BUT DICTATORSHIP