The elimination of this salary component, which ranged between 12 million and 17 million pesos per month (approximately US$3,200 and US$4,600, respectively), represents a significant reduction in the income of senators and members of the House of Representatives and has sparked strong political and media controversy in the country.
For the government, this is an action framed by criteria of equity, austerity, and rationalization of public spending in a context where stark economic inequalities persist, and the fiscal deficit is rising.
However, for many lawmakers, the decision not only disrupts a long-standing salary practice but also constitutes a direct response by the executive branch to a Congress that has thwarted key government initiatives.
For those who will just skim the title: the part of the salary being cut was never meant to be a permanent part of the salary package, and was meant to help pay for relocation to Bogotá as part of the transition into being a member of Congress. The salary has now dropped from ~14k USD/month to just shy of 10k USD/month, and the Colombian Congress isn’t happy about it. I know well paid latin-American software developers working 2 jobs who still don’t make that much a month, by comparison.
