Election posters are now going up around the county RMG53
THE average MLA will lose out on six weeks’ worth of wages – around £6,000 – when Stormont grinds to a halt before election day.
Confirmed by the Northern Ireland Assembly, members’ pay stopped last Thursday and won’t restart until they are re-elected after March 2.
According to niassembly.gov.uk an MLA currently earns £49,000 excluding expenses. This equates to around £3,769 per month before tax and £942 a week.
For the six weeks they are without their Assembly salary, this totals £5,653.
Whilst this hiatus in salary payments is good news for the tax payer, Stormont ministers and particularly the First and Deputy First Ministers are in line to lose out even more.
For the six weeks from today until after the election, a minister will see their wages decrease – before tax – by around £10,000. Ministers’ annual salaries currently stands at
£87,000.
Martin McGuinness and Arlene Foster will be even worse off. The wages for the joint office will slump by almost £14,000 during the break.
The First and Deputy First Ministers each earn £121,000 a year
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