Yesh Atid MK brings back proposal to cut politicians’ salaries by 10%

MK Shimon Solomon submits bill amid economic turmoil.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Knesset 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool )
Knesset 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool )
The salaries of the president, ministers and MKs were lowered by one percent in this year’s state budget, but that was not enough for one lawmaker.
MK Shimon Solomon (Yesh Atid) submitted a bill Monday evening calling to cut their salaries by 10%, which was similar to a proposal by Yisrael Beytenu earlier this year.
“We are in a difficult economic time, to say the least,” Solomon explained. “The world is undergoing economic turmoil, which did not skip over the State of Israel.”
Solomon acknowledged that cutting their salaries would not solve Israel’s economic problems, but he said it would be meaningful action.
“As leaders and elected officials, we must serve as a personal example and identify with the public that is having a difficult time and reduce alienation between the public and politicians,” he stated.
“This is the right thing to do,” Solomon insisted. “Elected officials...must carry a greater burden [than the general public]. That’s leadership.”
A 10% salary reduction was originally proposed by Yisrael Beytenu and put in the Economic Arrangements Bill, which is passed together with the budget. However, the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee lowered the pay cut to only 1%.
In June, when the cut was reduced to 1%, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman called the decision “unfortunate,” saying, “personal example is very important, and it is no coincidence that officers in the IDF use the slogan ‘Follow me.’ The decision is a mistake in both substance and in the way the public will view it.”