Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is being paid a net salary of 40,000 pesos (about $8,500) this month, the Office of the President said Tuesday in response to a controversy over the head of state's pay.

Fernandez's gross pay in November totaled 64,000 pesos (about $13,600).

The president's pay is up 28 percent since January, when she received a gross salary of 48,000 pesos (about $10,000) and netted 30,000 pesos (about $6,380).

The Office of the President revealed Fernandez's salary in the wake of a controversy unleashed by a story Sunday in the Clarin newspaper that claimed she had received a 42 percent pay hike between January and October.

Pay increases for high-level officials are based on several factors, not all of which were revealed by the Office of the President, the La Nacion newspaper reported Tuesday. EFE