Travel allowances: The waste of money given to regional councilors even during the lockdown

Offices closed, meetings suspended, but they still earned between €1.500 and €3.500 a month. In Tuscany alone, €80 a month was spent. The law is on their side.

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reimbursements for trips never made

REIMBURSEMENTS FOR TRAVEL EXPENSES NEVER MADE

Money raining down, Refunds for trips never made during lockdownFor regional councilors across almost all of Italy, the quarantine was a great deal. For their constituents, the taxpaying citizens, it was yet another waste.

TRAVEL ALLOWANCE

An additional part of the councilors' salaries, which is not irrelevant as we are talking about a figure from 1.500 to 3.500 euros per month, is credited as «travel allowance». What does it mean? It's a flat-rate reimbursement for the movements within the region, given that perhaps the councilor lives in an area other than the capital.

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TRAVEL ALLOWANCE DURING LOCKDOWN

Once all Italians, including those elected to regional councils, were stuck at home, you'd expect this allowance to be suspended. Yet it never stopped. In Tuscany, for example, the council was closed for 85 days, during which 80 euros in travel allowances were lost. The same thing happened in Lombardia, Umbria, Calabria, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto.

In Abruzzo, they've made an effort to reduce allowances by 10 percent, and in Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Attorney General's Office of the Court of Auditors has opened a case regarding travel reimbursements for councilors. In this region alone, the total monthly expenditure for councilors' travel allowances amounts to 155mila euros.

WASTE OF TRAVEL ALLOWANCE

The councilors' justifications have been very bizarre so far. Some have argued that it's a law that effectively makes travel allowances a component of their salaries, and therefore shouldn't be touched. Others, with a certain amount of brazenness, have cited their travel arrangements to help residents during the lockdown, and have happily pocketed their travel allowances.

TO KNOW MORE: Life annuities: all the lies politicians told so no one would have to touch them.

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