Dear Friend,

MPs set to get eye-watering $17,239 pay hike

While Kiwis are struggling with high inflation, high interest rates, and decreasing real incomes, MPs are set to get an extra 11 hike to their pay – and (tax free!) allowances.

I'm emailing to ask you to join the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who have already signed our petition calling for MPs' pay to remain the same until Kiwi families are getting ahead.

Despite the Government borrowing $75-million on the national debt every day, the Remuneration Authority wants to dish out an eye-watering $17,239 pay hike for backbench MPs, most of us have never heard of.

And that's just the base salary! Once you factor in all the special perks, tax-free allowances and superannuation subsidies – even the most junior backbench MP is already being paid well north of $200,000. That's set to increase to nearly a quarter of a million dollars before the end of this Parliament's term.

Friend, we knew this was coming and raised the alarm last year, but frankly we didn't think MPs would be so out of touch as to line their pockets while families struggle. 

Christopher Luxon says he'll donate his extra $50k to charity. With respect, that misses the issue. MPs should not be getting more while taxpayers are going backwards, and the Government is borrowing an extra $75million per day! Struggling households trying to make ends-meet don't pay tax for Mr Luxon to pick which charities our money goes to.

So far, nearly 20,000 people have signed our petition calling for MPs to reject this pay offer.

Friend, will you add your name?

I wish my boss gave me a tax-free $20,000 every year for gifts, suits, and luggage...

Buried in the detail is an extra $2,320 hike to backbench MPs’ annual tax-free allowance; expenses such as 'luggage' (yes, seriously), clothing, and even gifts and koha!

We've seen what happens when MP spending isn't subject to transparency in places like the UK – where politicians were caught spending taxpayer money on installing 'duck islands' in their personal homes, second houses nowhere near Parliament or constituencies, renovations on MP's houses, and plasma-screen TVs.

Is it too much to ask that we don't give MPs more money under the guise of 'work-related' expenses when taxpayers are not able to judge for themselves the legitimacy of these claims?

Friend, the average income of households is going backwards, MPs are locking in annual increases that don’t reflect the real world. This decision demonstrates that the Wellington-based Remuneration Authority are out of touch with the rest of New Zealand.

While the Government and Opposition can agree on almost nothing – you can be sure that we will see a rare moment of unity with all MPs passing the buck to the 'independent' Remuneration Authority and saying it is "out of their control". 

Nonsense! Even Jacinda Ardern led from the front when MPs were set to receive a massive pay bump, and then during COVID, legislated a pay cut for all MPs – 20% for Ministers and 10% for MPs. Given the recession, it's only fair for MPs to put a hold on annual pay hikes until our books are in the black – and kiwi families aren't going backwards.

Parliament can step in and put an end to this absurdity, recognising the struggles that households are facing right now. Will you sign our petition urging MPs to reject this ridiculous pay hike?

>> CLICK HERE TO SIGN <<

Thank you for your support.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

ps. This effort is 100% people powered. Politicians will try to hide from this and say it's out of control. Forcing them to turndown this monster pay hike will take a widespread publicity campaign to make it impossible to hide from the taxpayers whose pockets they are reaching into. We know we can make them turn this down. But to win, we need you to back us.