Fixed salary increase – Salzburg policy will not be included in the zero-wage round

The federal government and other states led the way with a modest example and a zero-wage round for top politicians. Salzburg is not following suit. The state government wants to grant itself a full salary increase by 2025. How much more it will be for the governor and co. is not yet clear. The salaries of politicians are linked to the statutory pension adjustment factor.

This is based on the average inflation over the past twelve months and is expected to be 4.6 percent. For Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP), the gross salary will exceed the 20,000 euro mark next year. His deputies and the four other state councilors will also receive almost a thousand extra per month.

State leaders are keeping tight-lipped about the increase
Last year, there was half the increase for state politicians. Only the mayors got a full, almost ten percent. That was not up for discussion this year. The state leaders are conspicuously silent on the subject. “We believe that this is justified,” the state government said in a statement. FPÖ leader Marlene Svazek only refers to the “fundamental decision” of last year. It is striking that Salzburg, like Upper Austria, also governed by black and blue, is also increasing the absolute top salaries by the full amount this year.

In many important sectors, such as trade, metal workers and civil servants, salaries were increased this year in a socially staggered manner. This means that the salaries of low earners are rising more than those of high earners. This makes perfect sense to economic researchers, because most of the money from low incomes is spent immediately. However, with high salaries, the increases often flow into savings, shares and real estate. However, the state government has not paid attention to these arguments this year.