Independent Senators remained tight-lipped last night over whether they will back the Government or the United Bermuda Party on the matter of pay hikes for politicians.

The salary rises would see Premier Alex Scott?s jump by 80 percent to $200,000 if passed by the Senate when they discuss it, most likely next Wednesday.

Under the proposals, which were recommended by an independent Salaries Review Board, full-time Ministers would collect $150,000, with their part-time counterparts paid $100,000, up from $78,856 now. Backbench MPs would get $50,000, up from $39,428.

The vote in favour of the pay hike went along party lines on Friday evening with 16 Progressive Labour Party MPs giving it the green light and 13 United Bermuda Party MPs voting against.

In theory, if the three independent Senators ? Alf Oughton, Carol Bassett and Walwyn Hughes ? sided with the three UBP Senators and not the five PLP representatives, they could defeat the bill.

However, they would not be drawn on this yesterday. Sen. Oughton said that it was likely that the Draft Resolution stemming from the Report of the Ministers and Members of the Legislature Salaries Review Board would be tabled tomorrow and debated the following week.

?We will have to wait and see,? he said, when asked what his views were.

Sen. Hughes promised ?a lively debate?, on the issue but said he preferred not to make public his stance until he reaches the Senate table.

?I?m just mulling over my own views,? he added.

Sen. Bassett could not be reached for comment.

Senators would get a relatively small increase of $815 under the new proposals, taking their salaries to $27,102. The two cabinet members in the Senate would also be paid their Ministerial salaries on top of this. For Works and Engineering Minister David Burch this would be an additional $50,000 to $100,000 depending on whether he elects to be treated as full or part time, with Attorney General Larry Mussenden being paid $145,796 on top.