Netanyahu outearns Russian and Chinese leaders
While Putin took a pay cut due to faltering economy, Israeli prime minister maintained $141,000 salary despite year focusing on his exorbitant expenses.
A recent CNN poll which – understandably – excluded the Israeli prime minister may add fuel to the fire. In the survey of the salaries of world leaders, Netanyahu would have unseated Russian President Vladimir Putin from his eight-place perch on the list.
The Israeli prime minister earns $141,000 annually – $5,000 more than the leader of the largest nation in the world, who recently took a 10 percent pay cut after his country fell into a deep recession.
On the other hand, a report by the State Comptroller found the Netanyahu family spent excessive funds at the public's expense. For example, the funds for food doubled to half a million shekel in a year.
At the top of the CNN list – unsurprisingly – was US President Barack Obama, who raked in $400,000 last year not including a tax-free expense account valued at $50,000. That impressive salary, however, was once only half the sum, until George W. Bush entered the Oval Office in 2001.
In a distant second is Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper, with $260,000 in compensation for running the second largest country on Earth by size. The leader of Europe's economic powerhouse, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, came in third with $234,000.
South African President Jacob Zuma ($223,500) and UK Prime Minister David Cameron ($214,800) round out the top 5 on the list of the most highly paid leaders of major economies.
In tenth place, at the very bottom, stands Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose $22,000 per year salary rivals the expected earnings of a minimum-wage worker in most developed nations – and only after receiving a 60 percent raise at the beginning of the year, according to the CNN report.
Yaron Druckman and Elad Zeret contributed to this report.
