Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (CDU) has agreed to suspend the increase in parliamentary allowances planned for this year. "I understand that many citizens feel that if we are asking them to make significant sacrifices, they also expect the same from parliamentarians," Spahn said in a podcast for the news portal "The Pioneer."
He referenced the healthcare reform planned by the black-red coalition, "which means additional financial burden for many people." Therefore, he said, "I can imagine that we will agree to suspend the allowance increase for this year," Spahn said in the podcast, which was recorded on Sunday and is scheduled to be published on Monday.
Similar demands had already been voiced by the Union's coalition partner. SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf said at the beginning of May that his party "definitely wants to suspend" the upcoming increase. He justified this by referencing the austerity measures that have been imposed on citizens. The Greens and the Left party have also voiced their support for suspending the increase in parliamentary allowances in the Bundestag.
Since 2014, the allowances for members of the Bundestag have been linked to the development of the nominal wage index and increase automatically accordingly. As of July 1, an increase of 4.2 percent would therefore be due. This would raise monthly allowances from the current approximately €11,833 to around €12,330 before taxes.
Spahn advocated returning to the automatic adjustment mechanism after suspending it for this year. "Because it has value in itself that we don't make a political decision about this every year," he explained.
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