Rookie MLA says allowance is too high
Clark pledges to donate excess pay to charity
Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark said Tuesday the flat- rate living allowance enjoyed by MLAs who live more than 60 kilometres from the provincial legislature is too generous and offers no incentive to save public dollars.
All qualifying MLAs are entitled to a $ 1,930 monthly allowance to maintain a temporary residence while in the provincial capital. MLAs are also entitled to a separate $ 48.90 per diem for meals and incidentals while working in Edmonton.
Clark said while he believes the annual base rate of $ 127,300 paid to MLAs annually is fair, the living allowance “doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense,” because it’s a flat- rate reimbursement.
“MLAs who are able to find cheaper accommodation are able to actually pocket that money, tax free, and keep it,” the Calgary- Elbow MLA said at a legislature news conference.
Clark said he recently signed a lease for an apartment that will cost him a little more than $ 1,000 per month.
After one- time costs of purchasing furniture and other necessities, the difference between his rent and the allowance will equal a roughly $ 10,000 tax- free salary bump.
“Under the current system, there’s absolutely no incentive for us to save taxpayer dollars and it feels to me like an underhanded way of increasing MLA pay,” Clark said.
A better system would mean reimbursing MLAs the exact cost of their accommodation and living expenses, up to a certain cap, Clark said.
He pledged to donate all excess funds form the allowance to a charity each quarter.
The rookie MLA, who was officially sworn in on Monday, announced he will try to put forward a motion to change the living allowance rules to the all- party members services legislative committee.
But as the sole Alberta Party MLA, it’s not certain Clark will get a seat on the committee, which is responsible for setting MLA pay.