The basic salary of a Reykjavik city councillor with the addition of various extras can be close to ISK 1 million a month (USD 8,020 at today’s rate but closer to 12,000 before the banking crisis) a month. In addition, the city pays each and every council member ISK 300,000 per year for phone bills. The mayor earns around ISK 1.1 million per month, including extras.
The basic monthly salary of a councillor is ISK 404,000 with an extra 100,000 for sitting on the Executive Board.
The chairman of the Executive Board and the President of the council both get extra, RUV reports.
The mayor, Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir is the city councillor with the most impressive paycheque. Her basic salary is ISK 900,000, with an additional 70,000 for newspapers, restaurant bills and travel.
She receives a further ISK 100,000 as the chairman of the capital region’s fire brigade and 70,000 as the chairman of the Civil Protection Agency. In addition to this, she has unrestricted mobile phone usage and the use of a car and chauffeur.
in Italy
<1000 citizens = 1355 euros per month
1001 – 3000 = 1518 euros
3001 – 5000 = 2277 euros
5001 – 10000 = 2928 euros
10000 – 30000 = 3253 euros
30000 – 50000 = about 3600 euros
50000 – 100000 … 500000 = maximum about 9000 euros
It sure sounds nice to be able to serve the people! Maybe Reykjavik’s mayor could copy London’s mayor and use a push bike instead of chauffeur-driven luxury when travelling around the city centre – that would be a symbolic gesture.
Good to see that Iceland is doing so well and that money is’nt being wasted like the “good old days”. You gotta love the nerve of these people….
In the Netherlands city counsillors in a town of about 150.000 people (like Reykjavik) get about 1500 euro per month.
For the biggest towns (more than 375.000 inhabitants) the maximum is less than 2100 euro.
So most city counsillors will need a job next to their political work.
http://www.vng.nl/Documenten/Extranet/Marz/CVA/Politieke%20ambtsdragers/ambtstoelage_&_onkostenvergoedingen_W&R_raadsvergoedingen_2009.pdf
“USD 8,020 at today’s rate but closer to 12,000 before the banking crisis”
The Norwegian Prime Minister have about $18750 a month in comparsion. He really wants to bike, but is not allowed. After tax ($7500) – his net income is about $11000 a month…
The Major in Oslo have ca $15000 a month + some free telephone and some free newspapers, that is all.
Your city councillors really live the good life, don’t they?
In the UK Hampshire County Councillors get £11,883 a year. 10 Cabinet members get an extra £17,207 (total £29,090) and the Leader gets an extra £28,680 (total £40,563). There are a few other allowances as well, but these are the main ones.
That, per month, is approximately $1,650 $4,000 and $5,600. Much less than your ordinary Reykjavik City Councillor, even though Hampshire County Council serves 10 times as many people as Reykjavik City Council and has a gross budget of approximately $3 billion (yes, billion).
What do your city councillors do to earn such vast sums of money and be of benefit to the Reykjavik taxpayer? What a gravy train!
So Reykjavik city councillors make almost as much as New York City Council Members’ base salaries, which are $112,000. However *each* NYC council member represents an average *district* population of 180,000, while the entire population of Reykjavik is under 120,000.
your city leaders don’t care about the people they are suppose to be serving,only how much they can get from the poor tax payers.where is their concern for the people.horray for me and you know whatfor you
Ok, I’d say those greedy people made banks collapsing ^^
Yes The Icelandic knows how to pay salaries. Just go on and do not complain that you need to pay for Icesave. You have money anyhow it looks like that
“What do your city councillors do to earn such vast sums of money and be of benefit to the Reykjavik taxpayer? What a gravy train!”
Thei are also on all kinds of committy’s and get paid for that as well,
Gisli Marteinn Baldursson councillor took a year off to go to school in Edinburg, the city paid him
325.032 a month and his traveling expences, internet connection and computer equipment
other peple have done this too.
http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/innlent/2008/08/21/gisli_marteinn_akvedinn_misskilningur_i_gangi/
Its good to work for the BBC, all you have to do for buckets of money is to tell people everything is alright and the economys recovery is just around the corner.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/12/bbc-expenses-mark-thompson-pay
http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/running/bbcstructure/index.shtml
>What do your city councillors do to earn such vast sums of money and be of benefit to the Reykjavik taxpayer? What a gravy train!
Same people are getting ready for they lovely dream time as EU parliament member or EU commissioners, where they get that big expenses funds and allowances courtesy of tax payers.
But it will remain a dream because the Icelandic people like EU less and less as they learn more of it.
And Jóhanna by making application against wishes of people that just did have this idea of ” finding out what was the deal ” has scuppered the whole thing forever.
The double referendum would have costed less than this fiasco for country and embarrasment when the application is withdrawn or at most the referdum says decisiive NO to EU memberstateness.
This will be her legacy in history.
Are these numbers in the story before or after tax?
Is this what you call crisis in Icelandic way?
No EU!
http://www.fourmilab.ch/evilempire/noEU/
“What do your city councillors do to earn such vast sums of money and be of benefit to the Reykjavik taxpayer? ”
Not much, hang out, bark a lot and pretend they are under lots of stress.
It’s not obvious to me why the country needs so many MPs, let alone all those councillors as well. The whole population is only 300K, so Icelanders must be the most politically-represented citizens on the planet. Imagine the number of civil servants in the beauracratic machine supporting all those MPs and councillors! It’s a surprise they are any citizens left over to do the real work.