MPs Annoyed That Živković Wants Salary Cuts Only in New Term

The Bill on Determining Salaries of Employees in Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be on the agenda of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH in its second reading tomorrow, proposed by SNSD MP Milorad Živković.

In his bill, he proposes coefficients according to which the highest salaries would be earned by members of the BiH Presidency, and their income would be 3.3 times higher than the average salary in the country, and other high-ranking officials from 3 to 3.2 times. Ministers and their deputies would have the lowest salary with a coefficient of 3.0, meaning less than the MPs themselves (coefficient of 3.1 for MPs, editor's note).

However, as Emir Kabil (SBB), chairman of the Finance and Budget Commission, which is meeting today, told the Patria News Agency, there are a number of inconsistencies in this proposal that must be corrected through amendments. What bothers Kabil the most is that any potential reduction would only be implemented in the new term.

- So, the reduction applies only to high-ranking BiH officials, from the members of the BiH Presidency to the MPs. Through amendments today, we must clearly distinguish many things. We have a problem that the implementation can only be applied to MPs in the next term. Why do it then, if we are introducing it, it should be introduced immediately, because then it is not fair – says Kabil.

He also explained that the Commission's session today will primarily discuss this fact, as well as the need to change Article 9 of the BiH Constitution, which states that salaries can only increase.

- I am fighting to change that article of the Constitution, because if salaries can increase, why can't they be reduced. And what is most important, if I think salaries are too high, then it is logical that they should be applied immediately in this term – added Kabil.