This week, the Knesset committee approved the proposal to recommend to the plenum to establish a public committee, headed by Prof. Yuval Elbashan, to determine the salaries and other payments that MKs enjoy.
When I heard about it I smiled, because there is nothing new under the sun.
In the past, several similar external committees have been set up, headed by academics, but when they submitted the recommendations, the MKs in the Knesset committee decided that they were not acceptable to them, and that they themselves would decide what their pay linkage mechanism would be. Others in many European countries.
The Speaker of the Knesset, Miki Levy, said in the solemn ceremony of the establishment of the committee that the Knesset committee will decide whether the recommendations will be binding, but anyone who follows the discussions on MKs' salaries over the years knows that there is no chance that the Knesset will adopt the recommendations. Only about four years ago, the previous public committee (headed by Prof. Haim Levy) recommended linking the salaries of MKs to the index instead of the average salary in the economy, but the Knesset committee did not accept this. The disappointed Prof. Levy told its members: The recommendations after we worked on them so much. "In response, the then chairman of the Knesset committee, MK David Bitan (Likud), told him:" Do not take it personally. "
Moreover, a few years ago the Knesset rejected a bill by former MK Yael German (Yesh Atid), according to which the public committee's recommendations would be final. By 32.7%, while the consumer price index rose by only 23.6% (ie a gap of 7.3%).
I remember over the years heated discussions on the issue of MKs' salaries in the Knesset committee. In their language. "Subsequently, a proposal was formulated that any MK who wished to waive his salary increase would be able to contribute the supplement he would receive.
Meretz factions, there is a future and we all announced then that their MKs would give up the addition, or donate it.
In light of this, it is recommended that members of the public committee, who intend to invest a great deal of effort in formulating new conclusions and recommendations, do not err in illusions about the likelihood of being adopted by elected officials.
However, it should be emphasized that the salaries of the MKs have not been increased since 2020, and currently stands at NIS 45,274 gross. Abroad as part of the job (subject to the approval of the Ethics Committee).
At the same time, they are prohibited from engaging in paid work in other jobs during their tenure in the Knesset.
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