Introducing a flexible pension
system encouraging Italians to retire earlier would have a short
term cost but would lead to savings for the state in the medium
term, Undersecretary for the Economy Paolo Baretta was quoted as
saying Friday.
However Baretta challenged an estimate of the short-term
cost of as much as 8.5 billion year, made by the head of the
INPS social security agency, Tito Boeri, saying the real cost
would be "less than half" what Boeri claimed.
"In the medium and long term, making the pension age
flexible would lead the state to save, not to spend more,"
Baretta told the Corriere della Sera.
"Anyone deciding to leave work before 66 would have a
lower cheque not just for some time but for the rest of their
life. From this there would be budget savings".
"To guarantee the equilibrium of the system one must look
not just at today but at the days that come after. However it is
clear that in the immediate there would be costs, but they can
be sustainable"
"One could link the cut in the cheque to income level --
if you take a pension of 1500 euros, you cut 2%, if you take
2,500 euros, you cut a bit more. Or else you could introduce
flexibility gradually".
"In 2016 you allow people to leave one year early, in 2017
two years early, in 2018 you go up to three, and so on," Baretta
said.
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