Given the blockage in the negotiations, it is ready to agree before the end of June on a “minimum agreement” with a nine-year horizon that does not even include price bands
“We are not going to implement a reform quickly and incorrectly.” With these words, the Secretary of State for Social Security, Israel Arroyo, expressed on Thursday the government’s willingness to postpone the reform of the Special Scheme for Self-Employed Persons (RETA), which must be approved before the end of June for its phasing in. from 2023. That was the date that Moncloa had set to design the new premium system based on real income for the more than 3.3 million self-employed in Spain.
This was stated in the pension agreement approved last summer and had in turn been communicated to Brussels within the recovery and resilience plan. And with this horizon he had worked. Until now. The blockade in the negotiations – the social partners have not been called to the table since 28 February – and an agreement that seems almost impossible in the short term, is in turn made more difficult by the uncertain economic scenario of the war in Ukraine and the escalation of prices, have led the Executive to change his discourse. “We want to exhaust the possibilities of reaching an agreement,” he emphasized.
Now he is content to sign a “minimum agreement” in the short term, which could to some extent be practically the same as the one agreed last July, but “the reform will not be fully worked out by June.” José Luis Escrivá’s number two acknowledged at a press conference, pointing out that the horizon agreed with Brussels is “nine years”.
However, he clarified that “the milestones” they have committed to Europe will be met, but that this does not mean that the self-employed premium brackets will be set this year. Moreover, he has even turned his hand to this, which does not imply an increase in fees for next year, something that could at least be included in the 2023 Budgets.
What could be approved before June are more formal elements, such as those already in progress, that is, to reveal what the self-employed net return really is thanks to the data crossing between Social Security and the Treasury, to know how much they will contribute, what are your contribution bases…
Minister Escrivá also has another ongoing negotiation that seems difficult: the second phase of the pension reform, which will include changes in the calculation period – predictably towards another extension of the number of years used for the calculation and even the whole mentioned period is taken into account – and in the maximum premium bases, as reiterated to Brussels in the stability plan sent last week.
In addition, the Secretary of State argued that the aim of the government is to establish the formula for revaluing the minimum pensions, as they have increased more than the usual in recent years, so that it is a consensual increase and not a discretionary one on the part of the executive. shift. “We want this differential improvement in minimum pensions to be not purely discretionary, but rather come from a set of indicators, such as a differential consumption basket or other elements,” explains Arroyo.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
