The Parliament of the Maldives has approved the motion to impose a pay cut on all senior state officials, including the president, vice president, ministers, parliamentarians and heads of state institutions.
The motion to impose pay cuts on senior state officials whose salaries are allocated by the parliament was proposed by the Ministry of Finance in order to reduce state expenditure amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon approval of the motion by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts, the motion was submitted to the parliament floor and passed with votes from all 64 parliamentarians present at the sitting.
The motion applies a 20% reduction on basic salaries between USD 1,297 and USD 1,945. Similarly, a 30% reduction was approved on basic salaries between USD 1,945 and USD 3,891, while a reduction of 35% was approved on basic salaries above USD 3,891.
The motion also enforces a 20% pay cut on salaries of deputy ministers and officials in similar positions even if their basic salaries are below USD 1,297. The motion has also allocated a maximum take-home pay for political appointees serving in positions at deputy minister level and above.