Erfurt (dpa/th) – The diets of the 90 members of the state parliament in Thuringia are to be put to the test. An independent commission is to examine the remuneration of Members of Parliament, but also their pension in old age or after leaving the state parliament, as well as other regulations in the Members of Parliament Act, and make recommendations. This is a motion that the red-red-green minority coalition presented in the state parliament on Friday.
The aim is to put the MPs on an equal footing with all Thuringians in terms of tax law, social benefits and insurance issues, said the parliamentary manager of the left, André Blechschmidt. In principle, the CDU parliamentary group and the FDP group supported the issue, but said there was a need for further discussion, especially with regard to the composition of the commission.
At the request of the CDU, with the support of the FDP and AfD, the application from the Left, SPD and Greens was finally referred to the Judiciary Committee for further consultation – a decision to appoint the commission has therefore been postponed for the time being.
In Thuringia, the adjustment of MPs’ salaries is regulated in the constitution. After that, the basic salary of the parliamentarians will be adjusted annually according to the general income trend and the expense allowance according to the price trend. This automatic diet has been controversial for years. Other regulations, such as their pension, are regulated by the Members’ Act.
Some time ago, the AfD parliamentary group submitted a bill to the state parliament to abolish automatic diets. The basic diet for MPs was increased to EUR 6,036.72 gross last year, and they received EUR 1,359.43 gross per month for the upkeep of their constituency offices.
