MPs and senators receive a monthly flat rate for running an office. That’s 25,000 PLN. The amount is meant to cover costs such as paying salaries to their staff, renting the office space, and paying for their travel. The maximum flat rate last year was 279,720 PLN. Many MPs and senators seem to do everything to “grab the whole pot”.
As I mentioned, this amount also includes money for MPs’ travel, i.e., the so‑called mileage payments, which last year could have amounted to a maximum of 43.8 thousand PLN. A parliamentarian has a monthly mileage limit of 3,500 km. Surprisingly, many of them travel exactly that amount each month. In total, MPs’ mileage payments cost the Treasury 12 million PLN.
Driving with no oversight
The issue of regulating mileage payments comes up from time to time, but beyond public debate nothing happens. Do MPs not care about finding savings? Such action should be a priority for them, especially when the state’s finances are in a worse state. It’s hard to make a decision that takes away money that can be so easily obtained. Isn’t it?
Despite public criticism of “parliamentary trips” funded by state money, MPs and senators still don’t have to account for their official trips. A declaration of how many kilometres they travelled is enough. Parliamentarians do not have to provide receipts for fuel or taxi rides. All because the money is not refunded after it’s spent; it simply goes to parliamentarians upfront via the flat rate. This leads to a pathology where even MPs who don’t own a car receive mileage payments. An example is Anna Maria Żukowska from Nowa Lewica, who cashed in over 38,000 PLN for mileage last year – according to “Do Rzeczy” – without having a car. Such “pathologies” appear in every party. Arkadiusz Myrcha accounted for mileage with his wife Kinga Gajewska even though they often travel together. In this matter, there seem to be no “sacred” parties. PiS spokesperson Rafał Bochenek claimed 120,000 PLN for travel last year – says “Fakt”. Part of that amount is mileage, and part covers car rental costs. Yes, an MP who doesn’t want to spend money on buying a car can rent one, because after all, it’s not him paying for it.
Only public transport or recorded travel
Despite a wave of criticism from voters that pours onto parliamentarians every year, nothing happens about how they use public money. Many of them can even criticize others for it.
“I believe that every kilometre MPs travel must be recorded. That would curb this pathology, because it’s a pathology where MPs write down from memory that they travelled thousands of kilometres and take a transfer,” said Adrian Zandberg from Razem in “Do Rzeczy”.
One solution some MPs suggest would be limiting free travel for parliamentarians to public transport only, which they can already use in that way. Then – as they emphasize – the 50,000 km annual travel would end, which is often just on paper.
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