Brandenburg's State Parlamentarians: Three Factions Seek Diet Cap
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Wanna know about the latest buzz in Brandenburg's state parliament? Three out of the four factions are pushing for a cap on their perks, or what's officially called diets, similar to what they enjoy. A bill from the coalition factions of SPD and BSW and the CDU opposition suggests amending the MP Act, setting a cap at 3.5%. This update kicks in from January 1 next year.
What's in the offing for these swanky allowances? Well, the major chunk will continue to escalate according to the income growth for workers. A part will shoot up due to consumer price inflation, and there'll be an extra contribution towards pension provision.
What's changing for the constituency office rent? Only net cold rents will be covered in the future. To account for the skyrocketing rent prices, the maximum reimbursement amount will increase by a hefty 200 euros. Planning ahead, this means MPs will need to cough up ancillary costs from their diets. As a result, the budget for 2026 requires an extra 496,000 euros. And starting from 2027, our senior friends will get a supplement equivalent to the inflation rate, you hear that, pensioners?
Diets are nearly hitting the 10k mark this year
The diets received a bump of around 500 euros to approximately 9,800 euros per month this year. With the annual adjustment procedure coming to an end in mid-April, a new rule was eagerly awaited.
Ever since 2017, the allowance for MPs has been set annually based on the general wage and consumer price growth in Brandenburg. The increase was halted in 2021 and 2022 due to the ongoing pandemic. However, there's more cash available for 2023, 2024, and 2025.
BSW thinks the cap limit is reasonable
The Alliance for Progress and Democracy (BSW) deemed the recent increase in monthly allowance to be excessive, stating it was too much, with a 5.7% hike. "Increases of this magnitude still don't sit well with the BSW faction," said parliamentary business manager Falk Peschel. The BSW faction supports maintaining the annual adjustment but wants to set a cap to prevent an air of self-indulgence.
"We might have preferred a lower cap than the current 3.5% being discussed. But this would stop extravagant increases like this year. So, we're going along with it."
Meanwhile, the AfD camp in Brandenburg opposes any automatic increase in diets. "Any increase should be the result of a public debate and vote, as it's a decision made in our own interest," said faction leader Hans-Christoph Berndt.
- The Alliance for Progress and Democracy (BSW) has expressed concerns about the recent increase in MP allowances, finding a 5.7% hike excessive and claiming it doesn't align with their perspective.
- In contrast to the coalition factions and the CDU opposition, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) camp in Brandenburg's state parliament opposes any automatic increase in MP allowances, arguing that any alteration should be a result of public debate and vote, considering it as a decision affecting their own interests.
