Remember that ‘hames mitt ewro fil-gimgha’? The Sunday Times this morning: “Labour backbenchers share Eur1 million pay bonanza”
The Sunday Times reports:
A group of Labour backbench MPs will be pocketing an extra €1 million during this legislature, over and above their normal parliamentary salaries. The majority of Labour backbenchers were given government jobs, boosting their earnings by an average of
€20,000 a year each, an exercise by The Sunday Times of Malta has shown.
(…)
The Sunday Times of Malta analysis (see graphic) shows Labour’s youngest backbencher, Silvio Schembri, 27, is highest earner – with €65,285 – as a result of his various political appointments. That is €20,000 more than a minister. Apart from his parliamentary honoraria, Mr Schembri has also been given a position of trust as a consultant to Economy Minister Chris Cardona – earning him €38,500 a year.
He was also appointed chairman of the Parliamentary Economic and Financial Affairs Committee – boosting his income by an extra €515 a month. Last week, Mr Schembri was also appointed chairman of the Responsible Gaming foundation. However, the government said that he agreed to perform the latter post on a voluntary basis.
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The story isn’t up on line yet. I read it in the e-paper, so can’t put up a link.
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So, Silvio Schembri three jobs + one free.
Is The Sunday Times of Malta actually surprised at this? I doubt it.
Next time Dr Deo Debattista writes a comment I know how to answer him.
A person earning a salary of Eur 40,000 would pay around Eur 8000 in income taxes annually.
So it takes the full income tax of 125 persons to come up with the Eur 1 million to keep these seven tal qalba earning their little extra over and above thieir parliamentary salaries for the next five years.
It does give those 125 normal employees a strong satisfaction to know where their taxes are going doesn’t it? The 125 contributors would actually be more if they were lower income earners.
The only consolation is that these contributors could actually be those who voted them in believing that Malta Taghna Lkoll.
And if these voters believe in meritocracy then they are admitting that these seven stalwarts merit their income while the inferior peasants deserve nothing but to toil all year round to give these ‘representatives of the people’ a luxurious standard of living.
Not many people in Malta earn that much. The average salary for people holding a degree is €27000 p.a. Therefore to pay these leeches, the taxes of more than 125 people are needed.
Hallelin. Shame on you.
In all fairness Silvio Schembri is ‘only’ earning €45,000 as a result of his government appointments. The €20,000 an MP gets shouldn’t be considered as a government appointment.
But this is all beside the point. As Fenech Adami pointed out, these jobs for the boys mean that the people, whoever they voted for, are losing out. More money to pay pets as consultants and chairmen means less for schools, health and infrastructure.
It’s all very well pointing out what PL MPs and supporters are getting but what the Times should be doing is pointing out what the rest of us are losing.
Exactly, Tim. Many have been waiting for their important medicines for months, while our taxes were mis-spent in the hundreds of thousands on a dream of flowers, re-printing of ballot sheets, LGBT celebrations in Valletta, and so on.
And then they blamed Godfrey Farrugia.
The Sunday Times has been on the fore front in helping these people getting where they are. It is useless crying over split milk now. Like everyone else it has been warned but persisted in its task to attack mercilessly the previous Administration. So it should shut up and beat her chest say Mea Culpa for 3 times.
Most PN MPs were appointed parliamentary assistants by the last previous government. How much did they earn?
[Daphne – I would ring Franco Debono and ask him, David, because he’s with Labour now and will be glad to give you the details. He never even went in to work, just collected his salary.]
So the PN government left him in his post despite the fact he did not not do any work? The scandals under the former government never cease.
[Daphne – If that’s a scandal to you, David, you must have been born in the early 1980s.]
Scandals? Take a look at the above graph and read carefully what it says beneath Silvio Schembri’s photograph. Now there’s a scandal for you.
You and people like you have no right to accuse anyone with scandals after your party’s record during the past 12 months. Just hide your face in shame.
It is also thanks to Times of Malta that we are in this mess. So the least it can do is give us the facts and figures.
It is still too accommodating. One odd editorial and the odd investigative article are hardly enough. Still this particular one was good and I hope more follow in its wake.
For Joseph Muscat, Gonzi PN`s mini cabinet getting €500 a week was shameful.
This was at the time when Gonzi PN put us in the international press in the brightest of spotlights and gained us a glorious reputation the United States felt should personally come and express gratitude.
Let alone the sound economy.
Now backbenchers getting an average of €1600 a month is no big deal for their doing nothing worth not even the eight o clock news. Eh il Labour hej hej hej kemm hu hali.
Charles Buhagiar is really Ned Flanders.
That’s a scary thought, since I had been thinking that we have somehow all been caught up in an episode of The Simpsons.
I suggest that you should compile a full list of Taghna Lkoll appointees in various government posts, with their pictures and salaries.
Then they expect a poor Maltese worker to live on 600 or 700 a month, and say they will not rise the minimum wage.
Hypocrites, do not dare call yourselves ‘workers party’ or ‘socialist’. You only ride on workers’ backs.