The TPA has also obtained a copy of a report by the Parliament's Head of Internal Audit, Robert Galvin, revealing widespread misuse of MEPs' allowance. The report was written in 2006 and its existence was revealed by Lib-Dem MEP Chris Davies last year.
According to the Sunday Times, the Galvin report shows that some MEPs claimed allowances for paying assistants of whom no record exists, awarded them bonuses of up to 1 and a half times their annual salary and diverted public money into front companies.
Meanwhile, figures complied by the TPA show that over a five-year term MEPs can put aside 450,000 pounds from staff allowances, 105,000 pounds from accommodation allowances, 217,800 pounds from office expenses by claiming their home was also their constituency office, 54,000 pounds from travel allowances and 350,000 pounds from pension schemes.
It is noted that British MEPs will see their pay rise by almost 50% after June's election, when all … Members of the European Parliament will earn the same allowances and not longer will have national payment systems.
British MEPs can make extra million from claiming allowances
A report from Taxpayers' Alliance shows that British Members of the European Parliament can make almost 1.2 million pounds from a single five-year term by claiming various types of parliamentary allowances, reported the Sunday Times.
