By Dirk Hoeren and Angelika Hellemann
The chancellor and his 16 ministers can look forward to a fat bonus! Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) and his cabinet colleagues should get an inflation premium of 3,000 euros – tax-free!
The extra money for the members of the government is a consequence of the collective bargaining agreement in the public sector. It stipulates that the 2.5 million employees at the federal and local level will receive a tax and duty-free special payment of 3,000 euros in addition to a wage increase.
In order for citizens to be able to cope better with the price explosion, the government introduced the inflation premium: Employers can pay employees up to 3,000 euros tax-free (gross equals net). This was used in many collective agreements (metal and electrical industry, pharmaceuticals).
In the public sector, the 3,000 euros are paid out in several steps. Specifically get z. B. Educators, bus drivers, firefighters in June 1240 euros extra, from July to February 220 euros per month.
► Normal is: The collective bargaining agreement is transferred one-to-one to the civil servants (e.g. in the city administrations and ministries).
► But a draft law from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (is available to BILD) now regulates: Chancellor and ministers also get the extra money. To do this, the ministerial law that regulates government pay has to be changed.
► The draft law states: “To mitigate the consequences of the increased consumer prices, members of the federal government will be granted a one-off special payment of 1240 euros for June and a special payment of 220 euros per month for the months of July 2023 to February 2024.”
Do chancellors (official salary 21,500 euros per month) and ministers (16,800 euros) really need an inflation premium? The Ministry of the Interior: The draft law, which is in the departmental vote, has “not yet been politically discussed”.
Criticism comes from the taxpayers’ association. President Reiner Holznagel (46) to BILD: “There is still no federal budget for next year because not enough is being saved. And now the ministers get the inflation premium? Absolutely wrong signal! Here the chancellor and the cabinet members should set an example and do without!”
In addition, the Ministry of the Interior wants to transfer the inflation premium to retired civil servants. The retirees should get them according to their pension rate.
Since the official pension depends on the number of years of service and is at most 71.75 percent of the last salary, the retirees would receive a maximum of 2152.50 euros.
In plain language: inflation premium for retired civil servants – but the pensioners look in the tube!