Despite massive holes in the German budget that have led to cuts in public services and targeted farmers with tax increases, the German government just gave themselves huge raises and increased the salaries of the country’s expanding civil servant class. In fact, they are the largest increase in decades and will cost the German taxpayer an extra €979 million a year.
Government officials will start raking in higher salaries in March, where the country’s president, for example, will see his monthly salary increase to €23,003 from €21,625 a month, representing an increase of 6.37 percent. Olaf Scholz can also look forward to a raise, with his salary rising to €22,083 from €20,702.
Ministers will also see a 7 percent increase, with their salaries rising to €17,990 from €16,816. However, their pensions will also rise in tandem, since the more civil servants earn, the higher their pension payout will be.
After just four years in office, a member of the government will see their pension entitlement stand at 27.74 percent of their salary. For example, under this metric, Olaf Scholz will see his monthly pension payout stand at €6,117 per month, compared to €5,734 previously. That is already more than most Germans earn in terms of pure salary and astronomically higher than most Germans’ pension payouts even after a lifetime of working.
From March 1, a civil servant in the higher civil service will earn €298 more per month, which equals an increase of 10.73 percent. A civil servant in the higher education sector, which would include school principals at secondary schools, will earn €458 a month more than before.
The government has already agreed on the salary increases, and they will amount to €979 million more for civil servants and retired civil servants.
As Remix News previously reported, Germany’s government is facing a funding crunch crisis after the country’s top court, the Constitutional Court, ruled that the government’s attempts to shift money in the budget from coronavirus funds to other uses was unconstitutional, resulting in a massive €60 billion hole in the budget. As a result, the government has now resorted to cutting in other areas, including for farmers, which has sparked widespread protests.