$267309 tax-free: Chief of 90-member First Nation may be Canada’s highest paid politician – National Post
August 13, 2015
VANCOUVER — The 90-member Semiahmoo First Nation in Surrey, B.C., paid its chief and one of its councillors nearly $460,000 combined in the 2013-2014 fiscal year.
Chief councillor Willard Cook was paid $267,309 and councillor Joanne Charles had a salary of $187,138, according to now-required financial filings to the federal government.
When the salary’s tax-free status is factored in, it makes the chief possibly the highest paid politician in Canada. It would take more than $400,000 off-reserve to generate after-tax take-home pay of $267,309.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper earns an annual salary of $327,400 plus a $2,000-a-year car allowance. B.C. Premier Christy Clark has a $193,532 annual salary.
