The four current secretaries of state and two predecessors must repay part of their income. They should not have received the maximum wage before their duties had been entrusted. This was the conclusion of an expert report obtained by the Chancellery after criticism from the opposition.
This refers to a “mis-transfer of assets”. However, this is not the fault of those involved, but rather an “administrative error”. A total of EUR 14,408.40 will be withheld from subsequent wage transfers.
Susanne Kraus-Winkler (ÖVP/Tourism) accounts for 4975.66 euros, Florian Tursky (ÖVP/Digitisation) 4703.01 euros, Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP/Youth) 1938.52 euros and Andrea Mayer (Greens/Culture) 333, 43 euros. Her predecessor Ulrike Lunacek (Greens) – who resigned in May 2020 – repaid 1496.89 euros and the current finance minister Magnus Brunner 958.89 euros for his previous work as secretary of state at the Ministry of the Environment.
Salary of 17,000 euros
The secretaries of state receive around 17,000 euros per month. That’s the most anyone has received in about 25 years. However, applications for reimbursements from a previous legislature are no longer legally possible, for example because there are no more files.
The government has now announced that it will inform all ministries in a letter that state secretaries will only receive the higher salary if they actually perform their duties and this has also been laid down in writing. The opposition, on the other hand, would like a change in the law. It has sent a corresponding legislative initiative to the National Council, stipulating that the date on which the new tasks will be adopted should be published.
At the request of the SPÖ and NEOS Federal Council members, it became known that the current secretaries of state had received the higher amounts from the start.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
