Ministers get staggering 188% salary bump
Despite tall claims of austerity and belt-tightening by the PML-N-led government, the federal cabinet has approved a summary for increasing the salaries of ministers, ministers of state and advisers, massively raising their pay to Rs519,000 per month.
The increase came as the government acknowledged the financial strain on the salaried class due to taxation which, according to the statistics provided in the lower house of parliament, were heavy.
According to sources, the increase amounts to a staggering 188% bump, giving ministers a handsome windfall at a time when ordinary citizens are being asked to tighten their belts due to excessive taxes.
The development comes two months after the Finance Committee of the National Assembly approved an increase in the salaries and allowances of MNAs and Senators, bringing them in line with federal secretaries.
The committee, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, had unanimously approved the pay raise for parliamentarians.
In the recent past, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had more than doubled the size of the federal cabinet, increasing its members from 21 to 43, including 30 federal ministers, nine ministers of state and four advisers.
The new appointees also include four special assistants to the prime minister, meaning that the overall size of the premier's team now stands at 51 members, including eight SAPMs.
According to Article 92 of the Constitution, no more than one-fourth of federal ministers and ministers of state can be from the Senate, and the total cabinet size cannot exceed 11 per cent of the total parliamentary membership.
Presently, the National Assembly and Senate have 336 and 96 members, respectively, totaling 432. Having a hefty federal cabinet is not a new phenomenon in the country, as almost all previous regimes have claimed they would keep its size small, but later packed their cabinets.
Ironically, Minister of State for Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani told the National Assembly on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly acknowledged the issue of excessive tax burden on salaried individuals.
However, due to the country's fragile economic situation, immediate relief was not possible. "We hope to reach a position soon where relief can be provided," Kayani added, without specifying a timeframe.