Politician salaries rise: while citizens are fighting, they earn more!

Politician salaries rise: while citizens are fighting, they earn more!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - On January 3, 2025, the political waves in Austria are high. Udo Landbauer, the Lower Austrian FPÖ boss, asked Chancellor Karl Nehammer to resign. Landbauer criticizes that the population was left in the unclear for months while the economy is slid into a crisis. "The ÖVP has to make it clear that it cannot go on," he explained, and demands a government that is finally there for the citizens, as is already ots reported.

In the middle of this political turbulence, the politicians' salaries are also the focus of the discussion. From the New Year, politicians in the country can look forward to a salary increase of 5.3 %, which means a monthly increase of up to 1,344 euros for top politicians and Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. The Chancellor himself will receive 1,200 euros more. This message causes excitement, while many citizens are fighting with increasing living costs. Critics from the SPÖ and FPÖ, such as Jörg Leichtfried and Udo Landbauer, demand to suspend these increases, especially in times of economic difficulties. Landbauer goes so far that he even wants to reduce the salaries of government members, who in his opinion failed, as Austria

The increase in salary is supported by the government parties both the ÖVP and the Greens, which indicate that this is required by law. However, it is emphasized that at least temporary suspension, as practiced in 2021, is also in the room. This accumulating debate on the financing of the politician income and public dissatisfaction shows how citizens and politics in Austria are in direct conflict.