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Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu Posts Pay on Facebook, And It's Measly

by Leila Brillson on January 13, 2011 at 07:30 AM

netanyahu's pay stubCall it a publicity stunt or an effort to make his government more transparent, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently took to Facebook to show the world exactly what he is worth -- by posting his paystub. Netanyahu is currently spearheading a movement to achieve a pay raise for government employees. Netanyahu's stub puts him at 44,000 shekels a month, or approximately $12,400. After his expenses, which include insurance, taxes and his armored car (the car alone running about $3,200), Netanyahu makes, for a world leader, a measly sum. Of course, the constant perks of being a prime minister aren't evaluated, but Netanyahu, like us lowly non-politicos, watches his money disappear at the end of every month.

For the record, Singapore boasts the highest paid leader and India the lowest, according to the Economist -- with Kenya the most disproportionate (figured by comparing how much the PM makes to the country's GDP). Israel is below South Korea but above Poland, and, for comparison, the U.S. is middling -- below France but above Japan. Critics call Netanyahu's stunt a bid for attention, and, while that may be true, at least the Israeli put his money where his, erm, Facebook is.

Tags: BenjaminNetanyahu, facebook, Israel, politician pay, PoliticianPay, politics, SocialNetworking, top, WorldLeaders

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