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German lawmakers will have to reveal all incomes

Dunya News

Lawmakers are proposing new rules that would force them to be more transparent about their incomes.

A majority of the governing center-right coalition parties backs the proposal as a move toward greater transparency but opposition parties are lobbying for even more detailed disclosures down to exact figures earned.Lawmakers are currently required to disclose outside income for example from speaking engagements, supervisory board memberships or legal practice only in one of three categories, the top one being more than €7,000 ($9,000). The new proposal would create 10 categories, the highest being over €250,000.Chancellor Angela Merkels main challenger in next years elections, the Social Democrats Peer Steinbrueck, has been criticized for earning large sums from speaking engagements