SANTO DOMINGO.- A Dominican deputy costs the taxpayers RD$24 million yearly, counting wages, per diem, fuel, travel allowance, vehicles, among other perks they give themselves.

The Senate and Chamber of Deputies cost RD$5 billion annually, said opposition political leader Sergia Elena de Séliman today, calling it “absurd and a crime,” since other entities, such as the State University UASD, languish for want of resources. “While the UASD’s deficit makes it difficult to cover the costs of a summer course, the deputies nonetheless raise their salary 50 percent and assign themselves a RD$100,000 bond for Mothers Day.”

According to Chamber of Deputies data a deputy’s monthly base pay is 175,000 pesos, which with perks reach around 342,568 pesos. Its Web site says the monthly wage is 175.474,65, with RD$35,094,93 in ‘representation expenses’; 45,000 in per dieem; an 87,000 compensation; travel allowance per session 60,000, and RD$10,000 per commission.

There’s no odficial data for the Senate.

According to the numbers, the legislators make about 116,000 pesos, but increased by 58,000 pesos in the past month, which some social and political sectors criticized.

Deputies president Julio Cesar Valentin admitted they increased their wages to RD$175,000, but argued that RD$43,973 are discounted in income tax; RD$17,547 for the Legislator Institute, RD$2,000 for a laptop and RD$1,500 for their Club.

The deputies’ salaries is threatening to break another scandal, after the Santiago lawmaker proposed a cap on the number of deputies and to mak Congress unicameral, because it’s become very expensive for taxpayers.

Political leaders and lawmakers agree on keeping the number of deputies stays at 178, though differ on structural change in the Legislative Branch.