Sunday, January 02, 2022
Superfluous but expensive items?
Taxpayers’ Association criticizes the number of state secretaries
What is the job of a Parliamentary State Secretary? Very few people know, but the number is increasing. The Ampel-Coalition has more ministries than ever before. The taxpayers’ association criticizes the well-paid, but in its eyes superfluous items.
The Taxpayers’ Association (BdSt) criticizes the high number of parliamentary state secretaries in the traffic light coalition. The organization is calling for “a radical reduction in the number,” said association president Reiner Holznagel of “Welt am Sonntag”. “Per ministry, you need at most one Parliamentary State Secretary – the high costs and the controversial benefits of this office speak in favor of it.”
The government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz belong to the federal level as a whole 37 Parliamentary state secretaries and thus more than ever before. In almost all ministries there are two, in some even three. The last government of Angela Merkel had turned out to be 35 done by these State Secretaries. In the previous grand coalition there was still 33 State Secretaries.
The Taxpayers’ Association puts the annual costs per Parliamentary State Secretary at well over 500,000 euros. In detail, in addition to the official salary of 12,642 euros, a tax-free expense allowance of 230 euros is due each month.
“In the opposition against it, as a government fully in favor”
Since the Parliamentary State Secretaries are also members of the Bundestag, they also receive half a diet of EUR 5007 and a tax-free lump sum of EUR 3420. Your monthly income is therefore more than 21,000 euros. In addition, there are annual costs of around 300,000 euros for office, staff and company car.
Left parliamentary group leader Jan Korte spoke out in favor of “simply abolishing the supply posts for parliamentary state secretaries”. He particularly criticized the FDP and the Greens, who, as opposition factions, had also called for a reduction in the number of parliamentary state secretaries.
“In the opposition, however, as a government fully in favor,” said Korte. “Even before they really started to govern, the FDP and the Greens show that they are not bringing a breath of fresh air to the federal government at all, but are acting just like many ruling parties before them.”