After the next election greedy MPs are set to trouser an 11% pay hike to £74,000 – this is taking the piss. There is no reason for it at all. Just think about your own situation.
Some workers might just merit an inflation busting pay rise as they live in abject poverty. Personally I do not buy this line – the issue here is of high marginal tax rates for low paid workers. Whatever, it does not apply to MPs.
Some workers merit an inflation busting pay hike as a reward for extra productivity. Hmmmmmmm MPs work c 150 days a year so let’s move on.
And others have to be paid an inflation busting pay hike to stop them being lured away by competitors. Okay. In the private sector few of our MPs would command anything like the salary they get as MPs. Meanwhile for every safe seat the number of folks who wish to stand for the incumbent party runs into the hundreds, all approved as suitable by whichever party it is. In a marginal both parties in contention field of dozens of applications. So this does not apply either.
And so there is no reason at all for these folks to get such a big pay hike. The only reason they themselves can offer up (Jack Straw MP being one to take this line) is that if MPs are not paid more they will resort to expense fiddling.
That says it all. As you slave away to pay your taxes, think where those taxes are going…and vomit.
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