World Leaders' Salaries
When Gordon Brown became British prime minister in June 2007, his £187,000 salary made him the highest-paid national leader in Europe. On the world stage, he fared well, too, coming within a whisker of the US president's $400,000 per annum, and earning about five times more than the Russian president.
Two years on, Brown has lost considerable ground, in particular to French president Nicolas Sarkozy, whose salary doubled in 2008. The exchange rate also hasn't helped. So should the British PM award himself a hefty pay rise?
Probably not. In October 2007, a mooted €38,000 increase in the salary of Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, which would have taken it to €310,000, was deferred in the face of some outrage. Ahern's successor, Brian Cowen, accepted a 10 per cent pay cut.
Perhaps a better example for Brown might be Bolivia's president Evo Morales, who cut his salary by more than half when he took office in 2006. It was a popular move: in a nationwide vote of confidence last year, the former llama herder and coca-leaf farmer received the backing of 67 per cent of the electorate.
Note: for the purposes of comparison, all figures have been converted into euros. Exchange rates correct at March 2009
Sources: FT; German government; BBC; Hay Group; Irish Independent, Argumenty i Facty
GORDON BROWN
Great Britain
Prime Minister
€199,000
BRIAN COWEN
Ireland
Taoiseach
€257,000
DMITRY MEDVEDEV
Russia
President
€67,000
NICOLAS SARKOZY
France
President
€240,000
BARACK OBAMA
United States
President
€292,000
ANGELA MERKEL
Germany
Chancellor
€228,000
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
By Anthony Lavelle
Published: March 28 2009
Two years on, Brown has lost considerable ground, in particular to French president Nicolas Sarkozy, whose salary doubled in 2008. The exchange rate also hasn't helped. So should the British PM award himself a hefty pay rise?
Probably not. In October 2007, a mooted €38,000 increase in the salary of Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, which would have taken it to €310,000, was deferred in the face of some outrage. Ahern's successor, Brian Cowen, accepted a 10 per cent pay cut.
Perhaps a better example for Brown might be Bolivia's president Evo Morales, who cut his salary by more than half when he took office in 2006. It was a popular move: in a nationwide vote of confidence last year, the former llama herder and coca-leaf farmer received the backing of 67 per cent of the electorate.
Note: for the purposes of comparison, all figures have been converted into euros. Exchange rates correct at March 2009
Sources: FT; German government; BBC; Hay Group; Irish Independent, Argumenty i Facty
GORDON BROWN
Great Britain
Prime Minister
€199,000
BRIAN COWEN
Ireland
Taoiseach
€257,000
DMITRY MEDVEDEV
Russia
President
€67,000
NICOLAS SARKOZY
France
President
€240,000
BARACK OBAMA
United States
President
€292,000
ANGELA MERKEL
Germany
Chancellor
€228,000
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
By Anthony Lavelle
Published: March 28 2009