How much money does a member of the Bundestag receive?
Karl Baer discloses income
Created: 08/14/2022, 11:33 am
By: Daniela Skodacek
Karl Baer has a constituency office on Marienstrasse in Holzkirchner, which is currently posted with the previous income of the Greens member of the Bundestag.
© Skodacek
Holzkirchen/Landkreis - The expense allowance sounds small, but the amount for the member of the Bundestag Karl Bär from Holzkirchen is over 10,000 euros a month.
And it doesn't stop there.
In order to reduce the space for corruption, speculation and conspiracy theories, the Green politician Karl Bär recently made all his income public.
In addition, he made a promise of transparency even before his election to the Bundestag.
He also explained his appointments with interest groups in his constituency office in Holzkirchner.
He wishes for more imitators.
"What I earn can be read publicly on the internet," says Karl Bär.
The Green politician, who was elected to Parliament in autumn 2021, has listed and explained all income on his website.
Large posters with the relevant lists and numbers also hang on his constituency office in Holzkirchen.
The pots are diverse, from which money flows from the federal government to elected officials and their employees.
No contributions for pension and unemployment insurance
Since July 1, Bär has received a gross amount of 10,323 euros as a so-called expense allowance, which is considered a salary that is subject to income tax.
Before that it was about 300 euros less.
The amount of the compensation is adjusted annually to the nominal wage index of the Federal Statistical Office and can also vary downwards.
He pays around 500 euros a month into health and nursing care insurance.
However, he does not make any contributions for pension and unemployment insurance.
As a member of parliament, however, he is entitled to a pension of EUR 1,000 per legislative period.
Currently traveling with a 9-euro ticket
In addition, Bär gets a DB network card for 1st class, which he can use all year round and also privately.
Equivalent to around 7,000 euros.
He only has to pay extra for the Munich or Berlin subway.
Of course, he currently has a 9-euro ticket for that.
In the capital, he usually rides his bike anyway.
For parliamentary work, members of the Bundestag have a further 23,205 euros a month at their disposal so that they can hire employees.
So his decision-making scope is quite broad, says Bär: "I can pay scientific staff relatively well." The only things he is not allowed to hire are family members.
Nine employees in Berlin and Bavaria
Including two student assistants, he currently employs nine people in Berlin and Bavaria, two of them full-time.
However, the Bundestag administration settles their salaries directly with the recipients.
What is not exhausted remains with the state.
"I'm increasingly exhausting the sum," says Bär.
But he would like to keep a buffer so that he can give his employees a raise.
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Bär also receives EUR 4,583 per month as a tax-free flat-rate expense allowance, which is adjusted to the cost of living on January 1st each year.
From this he pays for all the expenses that arise in order to exercise his mandate: from the rent for the constituency offices to the second residence in Berlin (a room in a 2-person flat share) and the installments for his electric car (a used Renault Zoe) up to to office supplies.
Second home in Berlin, constituency office in Holzkirchen
After running fixed costs of around 3,000 euros, there is still a good 1,300 euros left, which he does not pocket at all, but uses for his political work: "I don't buy equity funds or vacations from them." In the future he also wants to use it to finance studies.
"There is no one who controls what I do with the flat rate," emphasizes Karl Bär.
Nobody is forcing him, for example, to have a second home in Berlin or a constituency office like the one in Holzkirchen.
Incidentally, this lump sum can also be reduced: if MPs miss a roll-call vote or a day of the meeting in Berlin, 50 to 200 euros per appointment will be deducted.
In the event of illness, the deduction is halved.
Due to his trial in South Tyrol, for example, Karl Bär missed a few days of the session.
12,000 euros on account for benefits in kind
Another pot that the 37-year-old and his employees can draw from is the account for benefits in kind, “KoSa” for short.
A maximum of 12,000 euros per year is available to each member of parliament.
However, invoice amounts must be advanced and the account will only be debited after the receipts have been submitted.
Above all, office supplies, devices such as laptops with accessories, mandate-related specialist books, newspaper subscriptions, stationery, the IT equipment of the constituency office, mobile phones and mobile phone and landline contracts can be procured via the "KoSa".
The taxpayer saves what he doesn't spend.
Hourly wage remains, workload increases
Karl Bär thinks it would make sense if all MPs disclosed their income.
This is not required by law.
Daniel Freund was a pioneer for the Greens.
Other faction colleagues soon followed.
In addition to his mandate, Bär does not do any other paid work: "Personally, I find myself well paid as a member of the Bundestag."
His hourly wage has remained about the same, says Bär, who most recently worked as a consultant for agricultural and trade policy at the Munich Environmental Institute.
However, his current workload is well over 40 hours a week.
Many evening and weekend appointments leave little free time.
He is officially in Berlin for around 22 weeks.
But basically there are more.
But now in August he is taking three weeks vacation – out of a total of six per year – to travel to the Tyrolean mountains with his daughter.
When does Karl Bär meet with whom?
Karl Bär has also listed his previous meetings with stakeholders since October 2021 - mostly in Berlin - including daily dates.
The farmers' association is relatively common, as are appointments related to the organic food industry and with environmental organizations.
So far, only two companies from the agricultural sector have been included.
Even an appointment with the genetic engineering lobby is understandable - "I'm there to observe the enemy," said Bär.
The list currently extends to July 7, 2022 and is updated regularly.
You can also read about it on his website under “Transparency”.
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