Earnings by politicians and what they take home

Andrew Holness, who is to be sworn in a Prime Minister today, will receive a basic salary of $7.3 million.

He is also entitled to $1.2 million in travel allowance but is likely to get a fully maintained vehicle so may skip out of that payment.

 

All parliamentarians, except for back benchers and the deputy speaker, are also entitled to the $1.2 million in travel allowance per year, any parliamentarian who operates his/her own vehicle gets an additional $30 per kilometre for travel outside the Corporate Area.

 

Aside from the Prime Minister, the salaries of parliamentarians are as follows: Leader of the Opposition gets $6.4 million;the Minister of Finance $5.9 million. Other cabinet ministers and the Speaker of the House get $5.5 million per year while junior ministers get $4.8 million. Parliamentary secretaries and the deputy speaker get $4.1 million. All other parliamentarians - those who do not hold executive positions - get just under $3.5 million per year. Senators get $17,000 per sitting or for committee meetings.

 

But its not just salaries, the Leader of the Opposition gets $276,000 per year as housing allowance while junior ministers and parliamentary secretaries get $207,000.

Housing allowance is not given to backbenchers or the deputy speaker. All mp's except backbenchers get $78,000 as subsistence per year and most get a telephone allowance each year amounting to $30,000.

 

All mp's are also entitled to a chauffeur and constituency secretary. That constituency secretary gets $956,000 per year and the chauffeurs get between $469,000 and $500,000 basic but that can be supplemented with commuted overtime and subsistence which can run an additional $190,000 to $260,000.

Cabinet members, junior minsters and parliamentary secretaries are also allowed household help with ministers getting 2 and the junior ministers and parliamentary secretaries one each.

 

The household staff are paid by parliament at a cost of $481,000 each per year.