The Knesset House Committee and the Finance Committee headed by Knesset members Ofir Katz and Moshe Gafni approved the recommendation of the public board that decides MKs' salaries and cut the salary increase of the President, the Prime Minister, members of the Knesset, ministers, deputy ministers, the President of the Supreme Court, judges, the Knesset Speaker and Chairman of the opposition by 7.4% for an increase of only 5.1%.
In the last three years, Knesset members decided to freeze their salaries every year, which led to an apparent revision of 12.5%. Committee members voted in accordance with the chairmen's recommendation and accepted the recommendation of the Public Committee.
Chairman of the Finance Committee MK Moshe Gafni, said that "the time has come for us to deal with this matter and decide on one course, clear and permanent. It is impossible to ignore what is happening with the rising cost of living. To vote for a 12.5 percent salary increase for ourselves would be a sign of being disconnected from the public, something that we cannot allow, which is why we voted for the 7.4 percent cut. But I want the Knesset Speaker, together with members of the Knesset and the committee, to settle this issue once and for all."
The coalition chairman and chairman of the House Committee MK Ofir Katz added: "We elected officials must listen to the public's whispers. After a year and a half of crazy price increases, the cart at the supermarket grew overly expensive, inflation skyrocketed, and people are having a hard time. I think we have to listen to the public and take into account their difficulties and what is happening on the ground. That's why I support the cut, it's the right thing."