BLOOM/ The ECB told Hungary NOT to cut central bank chief Andras Simor’s $458,000 annual salary by 75% because it threatened central bank independence. Simor earns 2x as much as US head banker Ben Bernanke. PM Viktor Orban has tangled with Simor and wanted him to quit for too slowly reducing interest rates and for having kept investments in Cyprus instead of Hungary. Simor has said he will serve out his term til 2013. Simor's wage cut would also underline Orban's symbolic efforts to cap state salaries at 2 million forint ($8,993), 10x the average monthly gross salary... to reduce the budget deficit .(Foto of A. Simor)
