Members? remuneration
Originally, Members of the German Bundestag were paid a tax-free allowance. In 1977, this was replaced with Members’ remuneration, which is fully taxable.
Article 48(3) of the Basic Law states that Members have a right to remuneration adequate to ensure their independence.
The same level of remuneration must be paid to all Members; it must ensure their independence and, according to a binding ruling delivered by the Federal Constitutional Court in 1975, must be appropriate in view of the fact that the Members of the German Bundestag are "representatives of the whole people". In 1977, Members’ remuneration, which was then DM 7,500 a month, was roughly equivalent to the income of
- a local government official elected for a fixed term in salary group B 6 and
- a judge at one of the highest federal courts in salary group R 6.
While salaries, incomes and the cost of living have risen markedly between 1977 and the present, the Members of the German Bundestag have repeatedly decided not to increase their remuneration over this period. It can therefore be shown that Members’ remuneration has risen more slowly than the general rate of wage inflation. At present, it amounts to € 7,009 a month (before tax). This means that Members’ remuneration now lags nearly € 950 behind the levels of pay enjoyed by the groups with whom they are explicitly compared in the relevant legislation.
