WHAT WE PAY MINISTERS #letskeepthebahamasclean

WHAT WE PAY MINISTERS

When ministers of the government who are instituting taxes tell the Bahamian people to “be realistic”, “manage money better” and “stop being complainers”, it is instructive to know what we pay them.

Salary breakdowns include salary for post, their MP salary and their duty allowance.

PRIME MINISTER - $139,000 annually

DEPUTY PM - $119,000 annually

PORTFOLIO MINISTERS - $99,000 annually

PORTFOLIO MINISTERS (Senate) - $86,000/$83,500 annually

STATE MINISTERS - $93,000 annually

STATE MINISTERS (Senate) - $77,500 annually

PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES - $76,000 annually

Ministers get 1 full tank of gas per week on us, we pay for housing for a number of them, and their travel per diems will be increased from $80 to $100 per day for domestic travel and from $150 to $250 per day for international travel. We fund travel for their spouses, provide major medical health insurance for ministers and their families and full pensions.

Our tax dollars put our government ministers in the top 10 percent bracket for household income in The Bahamas.

This means the households of our ministers, through their government income alone, bring in more income than 90 percent of the households in this country. Don't forget that a number of them are also millionaires (on paper anyway).

So keep in mind that when our ministers seek to lecture us about our struggle, our money has enabled them to take home far more than almost all of us in The Bahamas.