Here is a couple (a family come to think of it) that turned it into an art form.
Revealed: How the Kinnocks have enjoyed an astonishing 10m ride on the EU gravy train
Their generous package of salary and perks included:
A total of 775,000 in wages for Lady Kinnock and 1.85 million for her husband, adding up to 2,625,000.
Allowances for Lady Kinnocks staff and office costs of 2.9million.
A 64,564 entertainment allowance for Lord Kinnock.
A total of five publicly-funded pensions, worth 4.4million, allowing them to retire on 183,000 a year.
A housing allowance that allowed them both to claim accommodation costs although, as a married couple, they lived in the same house in the Belgian capital between 1995 and 2004.