Leftists look enviously at Switzerland: Germany now also wants a 13th AHV pension

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Switzerland’s clear yes to the 13th AHV pension is causing a stir far beyond the country’s borders. The British BBC, the French newspaper ‘Le Monde’ and even a Nigerian TV channel: various foreign media reported that Swiss voters had voted in favor of an extra monthly pension.

The Swiss referendum also arouses desire among our great neighbor to the north. On Tuesday, the German government presented a new plan to permanently safeguard pensions.

German leftists push for a thirteenth pension

The well-known German left-wing politician Gregor Gysi (76) is calling for a 13th pension to be introduced in Germany as well. “Switzerland leads the way: 13th pension,” he posted on the X platform.

The pension supplement is also necessary in Germany to combat “the existing and impending old-age poverty of millions of retirees”, he explains. More than 40 percent of pensioners in Germany, approximately 10 million people, would have to survive on the statutory pension of 1,250 euros per month or less. Above this limit you run a risk of poverty in Germany. A spokesperson for the left told Blick that a change in the law would be proposed in the Bundestag to introduce a 13th pension.

Former left-wing MP Sahra Wagenknecht (54), who founded her own party at the beginning of this year, also insists on using Switzerland as a role model. She also calls for a referendum on pensions in Germany.

Tax-free or not?

The German pension system is in principle comparable to that in Switzerland. However, there are significant differences in the way the different pillars are designed. With the Swiss AHV there is a much greater redistribution from rich to poor than with the German pension insurance.

In the past, Switzerland has repeatedly been cited by German politicians and experts as a role model when it comes to pension provisions. The right-wing populist AfD has been wanting a Suisse-style pension for years. But experts from the Organization for Co-operation and Development (OECD) also advised Germany more than ten years ago to follow Switzerland’s example.

If German left-wing politician Gysi has his way, Germany would even have to go a step further than Switzerland. He demands that the 13th pension be tax-free. In this country too, there is talk of abolishing taxes on the AHV pension – about the whole thing. An initiative by SVP Landraad Member Erich Hess (42) enjoys great support from both the left and the right. Parliament will probably vote on it soon.

Source:Blick