Everyone knows that parliamentarians receive considerable money to perform their duties in the National Congress. But if anyone asks about the exact numbers, do you have any idea about the values ​​that come out of our pockets and fall into politicians' account every month? A tip: the sum is high.

When we talk about the remuneration of federal deputies and senators, we can have two certainties: the first is that the buffoon is not little; and the second is that it is very, very difficult to say exactly how much our parliamentarians receive, as there are a multitude of benefits and extras that help fatten the paycheck of congressional staff.

Therefore, we will divide the total compensation into parts to try to encompass as many benefits as possible from the 513 federal deputies and 81 senators. Check out:

Salary

Defined by Legislative Decree 805/10, the gross salary (called “allowance”) is the same for federal deputies, senators, president, vice president and ministers: R $ 26, 723.13 . After the mandatory discounts of the Income Tax and the Social Security contribution, the net salary is reached: R $ 19, 850.30 .

Let's not say this is a “low” pay, far from it! However, we have to admit that, despite being quite pulpy, this is still a salary, say, “possible” - after all, it is a value that can be achieved when holding a senior position, such as the presidency of A great company.

And this is where the trick lies: the salary itself, even if it is a small fortune, may not be astronomical, but what really fatens the parliamentarians' piggy banks is the other benefits you see below.

Cabinet Budget

According to Bureau Act 44/2012, federal deputies receive a cabinet budget of $ 78, 000 . This amount is intended to pay the salaries of secretaries and other officials chosen by the politician. Each deputy is entitled to hire up to 25 secretaries, with salaries ranging from $ 845 to $ 12, 940.

Reproduction of the office of former Deputy Clodovil Hernandes (Press Release / Adriane Ciluzzo)

In the Senate, in turn, there is no fixed amount for cabinet money. In this case, the rules say that each parliamentarian can hire 11 commissioned employees, 6 advisers (earning $ 8, 000) and 5 secretaries ($ 6, 800). With this complete picture, the office budget can be estimated at $ 82, 000 (there are variations in the distribution of positions).

Housing assistance

If one day you are elected to Congress, know that you will be entitled to live in one of the functional apartments offered by the government or receive a housing allowance of R $ 3, 800 . It is also possible not to claim any of the benefits - and believe me: some parliamentarians actually give up both options.

Click here to find out what benefit the senators chose and here to check out a list of federal deputies who chose to live in the apartments. A photo gallery of these residences can be viewed at this link.

Parliamentary Quota

The Quota for the Exercise of Parliamentary Activity (Ceap), popularly known as “Cotão”, is the amount intended to cover the expenses of politicians and their advisers on air tickets, fuel, food, maintenance of support offices, lodging outside Brasilia., telephony and all that is necessary for parliamentarians to perform their duties.

In the Chamber of Deputies, the “Cotão” has its rules defined by the Bureau Act 43/2009. As dictated by this rule, the Chamber has set different amounts for the amount intended to cover the cost of air tickets, depending on the state of origin of the deputy. The R $ 36, 685.96 in our account corresponds to the average of all parliamentary quotas practiced.

The Senate, in turn, regulates the Parliamentary Quota a little differently, according to the First Secretary Act 10/2011. In this case, the total subsidized by the “Cotão” corresponds to the sum of the “indemnity amount” (R $ 15 thousand) and the value of five air tickets between Brasilia and the senator's state capital. By averaging the amounts received by all senators, we arrive at the R $ 34, 684.80 considered in our account.

Subsistence allowance

If you have ever moved, you know that the expense of transporting your belongings is high. The same thing happens when federal deputies and senators-elect have to move to Brasilia - and of course there is a budget to cover these expenses.

Therefore, both at the beginning and at the end of the term, parliamentarians receive a daily allowance in the amount of their salary (the already mentioned R $ 26, 723.13), defined by Legislative Decree 210/2013. In the case of reelection, this aid is not paid.

To make our calculation, we divided the amount of two aids that each parliamentarian receives by the number of months of his term - 48 in the case of deputies and 96 for senators -, which results in R $ 1, 113.46 monthly for members of the House. and R $ 556.73 for the Senate class in the same period.

"Total"

Summing up the salary, the office allowance, the “Cotão”, the housing allowance and the allowance, we reach a total of R $ 146, 322.55 paid to each of the 513 federal deputies and R $ 147, 764, 66 for each of the 81 senators. All this per month.

It already seems a lot, correct? But the sum doesn't stop there. Both the House and the Senate cover all medical and hospital expenses of congressmen, dependents and former parliamentarians. According to the Chamber's website, in 2013 expenses of this nature only among federal deputies totaled R $ 3, 483, 876.89.

In addition, the reading of parliamentarians is also guaranteed by law. Senators can receive four newspapers and two magazines, either at home or in the office. Federal deputies are entitled to four newspapers and one magazine. Subscriptions, of course, are paid by the taxpayer.

As you can see, it is difficult to determine the exact compensation paid to our representatives, either because the benefits are so great that we even lose our account or because not always all the money is used (phew, at least that!). One thing is certain, though: you may think politicians make too much money, but many of them not only disagree with that, but still want to raise their salaries. Yes, that's exactly what you read.

We explain: one of the topics to be discussed in Congress before Christmas break is the salary increase from January 2015. If approved, the salary of senators and federal deputies will exceed the $ 26, 700 established in December from 2010 to R $ 35.9 thousand - an increase of approximately 34.5%. Maybe they can afford all their expenses, right?

Via InAbstract