Salary increase fixed

More money for Salzburg’s politicians

The Salzburg state government is increasing salaries.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Salaries for Salzburg's politicians are expected to rise by 4.6 percent. Unlike last year, there is no staggered increase. "This is justifiable", says the state government.

The federal government and other states set a modest example with a zero pay round for top politicians. Salzburg is not following suit. Here, the state government wants to give itself the full salary increase for 2025. How much more it will be for the governor and co. has not yet been finalized. Politicians' salaries are linked to the statutory pension adjustment factor.

This is based on the average inflation of the past twelve months and is expected to be 4.6 percent. This means that Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) will see his gross salary exceed the 20,000 euro mark next year. His deputies and the four other provincial councillors will also receive almost a thousand euros a month more.

Provincial leaders are tight-lipped about the increase
Last year, state politicians still received half the increase. Only the mayors received a full increase of just under ten percent. This was not up for debate this year. The provincial leaders are conspicuously silent on the subject. "We are of the opinion that this is justifiable," a spokesperson for the provincial government said. FPÖ leader Marlene Svazek only refers to the "fundamental decision" made last year. It is striking that Salzburg, like Upper Austria, which is also governed by a black-blue coalition, is also increasing the absolute top salaries by the full amount this year.

In numerous important sectors, such as trade, metalworkers and civil servants, salaries were increased this year on a socially staggered basis. This means that the salaries of lower earners are rising more than those of higher earners. This makes a lot of sense to economic researchers, as most of the money from low incomes is spent directly. For high salaries, on the other hand, increases often flow into savings, shares and property. This year, however, the provincial government did not pay any attention to these arguments.