A PROPOSED smaller 25-minister cabinet under the Pakatan Harapan administration and a 10% pay cut for its members will save taxpayers an estimated RM3.65 million a year.

The salaries of the previous Barisan Nasional cabinet, which had 35 ministers and 33 deputies, cost taxpayers more than RM11 million annually.

This figure does not include their allowances, which covered fuel, outstation duty, housing, mobile phones, and parking.

A reduced cabinet with 25 ministers, and each with one deputy, will slash the government’s monthly salary cost by more than 25%, from RM920,719.25 to RM684,866.05.

The 10% pay cut announced by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday will bring the salary cost down even further to about RM616,379 per month.

Monthly savings of RM304,339 will translate to RM3.65 million a year.

Dr Mahathir announced the salary cut yesterday as part of the government’s austerity drive, after chairing PH’s first cabinet meeting.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke told Malaysia Decides the rate for allowances would be maintained.

Two former cabinet members said they had also been told that their combined salaries and allowances could not exceed RM30,000 a month.

Previously, a prime minister’s salary was RM22,826.65, a deputy prime minister RM18,168.15, a minister RM14,907.20, and a deputy minister RM10,847.65.

The 10% cut will see the salaries reduced to RM20,540 for the prime minister, RM16,351 to the deputy prime minister, RM13,416 for a minister, and RM9,762 for a deputy minister. – May 24, 2018.