The Senior Council, which represents the interests of the approximately 2.5 million pension recipients in Austria, is now increasing against the load plans of the new federal government: in this way the increasing contributions of health insurance are not allowed, the new discount regulations for the first pension are part of!
Senior Council -President Peter Kostelka explained Tuesday on Tuesday at a press conference in the Vienna Café Landtmann, why the stress for pensioners could not be added: “If we look through the work of the new government, we have taken note of pensioners in too many contexts to stop budget. Take over – even without conversations.
Discussions planned with Minister of Social Affairs
Ingrid Korosec of Kostelka and Senior Council therefore want to start discussions with the new Minister of Social Affairs Korinna Schumann (Spö) as soon as possible. The goal is to change the regulations, as long as they have not finally been decided in the National Council. Kostelka: “We want to negotiate – and that means design. I can imagine that the government will be better results!”
Is required:
- Die Removal of the increase in the planned health insurance contribution from 5.1 percent to six percent
- The full Abolition of the number of the first board – In other words, the planned 50 percent discount of the first pension increase after retirement.
- No conclusion of the pension adjustments under inflation (VPI) in the current legislative period.
The justification of the Senior Council to reject the higher health insurance contributions for pensioners:
- For each pension, 7.65% (employee contribution: 3.87% and employer contribution: 3.78%) was given to the Austrian health insurance fund (ÖGK), which generally used few benefits during their active time).
- An increase of 0.9% from 5.1% to 6% would mean a statement of approximately 17.6 percent.
- This increase is not social in relation to other social groups that contribute considerably less or only limited in time, such as the bank tax.
- Nobody spoke in advance with the Seniors Council, the legal advocacy of the elderly.
Increasing the contributions of health insurance policies “not acceptable”
Kostelka is particularly disturbing that the employees of the health insurance policies must be collected.
Temporary time limit conceivable
Kostelka and Korosec were able to imagine a time limit. Korosec: “For example, for two years, as with bank tax – the amount ultimately melts after two years.” And while the pensioners have to be taxed by several billion euros in the course of the legislative period, the banks must only be around 950 million euros. That is unfair.
Arguments for a discount payment in the first board
The new discount scheme of 50 percent in the first pension is also a thorn in the side of the representatives of the seniors and must disappear. Korosec: “For example, if someone takes on a job, and from January there will be a kv, then he will not only get half of the increase in the KV. So it is not at all to understand why it should be different with the seniors!” After all, the planned new regulation is better than the previously appropriate aliquotic regulation, which everyone who retires later in the year will disadvantages.
The conclusion of Korosec: “I understand that you have to renovate. But then you have to do it evenly!”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
