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On Thursday, the Young Liberals started their campaign for the pension initiative. The people and the states will vote on it on March 3.
According to the text of the people’s initiative “For safe and sustainable pension provisions (Pension Initiative)”, the retirement age for women and men should be gradually increased to 66 years by 2033. The retirement age should then be linked to the average life expectancy.
“Ticking time bomb”
The Young Liberals argue that the referendum will restructure the first pillar without requiring pension cuts, additional taxes or further debt. If nothing is done, there will be a funding gap worth billions. “This is a time bomb that keeps ticking.” Politics has not succeeded in securing AHV financing in a balanced and sustainable manner.
For Matthias Müller (32), chairman of the Young Liberals of Switzerland, it is clear: “The young should not pay the price for political inactivity – they should not be turned into pension slaves!” What the initiators wanted was finally a debt-free AHV.
Further reforms are therefore inevitable if the AHV does not want to fall dramatically into the red in the future, according to Müller. Only the pension initiative can secure the social security system in the long term.
“In the end, the boys have to eat the soup.”
A gradual increase in the retirement age to 66 and then linking it to life expectancy is a simple solution. If nothing is done, the AHV could face losses of billions. The federal government estimates a tax deficit of 10.5 billion francs by 2050. There would also be a gap of 80 billion francs in the AHV compensation fund.
“We take note of the sober figures and are taking action,” said Müller. The pension initiative would halve the tax deficit to around 5 billion francs. Politics has so far failed to secure AHV financing in a balanced and sustainable manner. “In the end, we guys have to eat the soup.”
“Pension initiative also eases pressure on the federal budget”
Patrick Eugster, presenting the initiative committee, doubled down: “The pension initiative not only secures our AHV pensions sustainably, but also reduces immigration to Switzerland, relieves pressure on the federal budget and generates higher tax revenues for the federal government, cantons and municipalities .”
Given the challenges of demographic changes and changes in the labor market, it is therefore absolutely necessary to make the AHV sustainably financeable. “We can only do that demonstrably with the pension initiative,” Eugster continues. (SDA/oco)
Source:Blick
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