Social: Chancellor against further increases in retirement age

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has opposed working longer until retirement. Anyone who leaves school today at the age of 17 has 50 years ahead of them, said the SPD politician in the government survey in the Bundestag. That is “a long way”. Therefore, there must also be clarity: “There will not and should not be any further increases in the retirement age. That would be irresponsible.” The age limit for a pension without deductions will be gradually raised to 67 years by 2031. In the debate, there have recently been calls for a pension at 70.

Scholz also rejected considerations of retiring at least 63 years for long-term insured. If someone “who has been very busy for a long time” can retire a little earlier without deductions, that is a piece of justice. “It’s good that it is.” The CDU recently pushed for an end to “retirement at 63”. It is aimed at “particularly long-term insured persons” who have paid contributions for at least 45 years. Those born before 1953 could retire at 63 with no deductions. The age limit increases for young people.

The chancellor called the equalization of pensions in East and West Germany on July 1 “a great moment” that had been aspired to for a long time. The fact that this was achieved ahead of time is “a good sign for the unity of our country”. However, it is important to ensure that this remains underpinned. Therefore, wages and salaries in the east should be on the same level as in the west. That is often not the case. On July 1, the pension value in the east was adjusted to that in the west. The value indicates how much a payment point is worth. Insured persons collect these points over the years. Multiplied by the applicable pension value, this later results in the pension.