In a televised address to Russian citizens, President Vladimir Putin proposed moves that would ease the transition to a new pension system. Such moves included making it illegal to fire employees approaching retirement age.
Putin acknowledged that in the early 2000s, he was against any changes to the Russian pension system and promised that there would not be any changes as long as he was in office, but now the Russian President feels that the country and its institutions are secure enough to undergo a needed pension overhaul.
Putin stated that his past refusal to tackle the thorny issue of pension reform was a sound position due to the high unemployment rate, poverty, galloping inflation, and relatively low life expectancy.
Putin has successfully lifted Russia out of near collapse in the early 2000’s, and steered the economy to inch ever closer towards becoming independent of western pressure, which has seen the United States leverage its financial strength to wage sanction warfare against foes and allies alike.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss Putin’s decision to address Russia’s pension issues, and the clear signal this sends to the Russian people regarding Putin’s final term in office, and the legacy he plans to pass on to his eventual successor.
Remember to Please Subscribe to The Duran’s YouTube Channel.
Via RT…
Putin asked the Russian people to treat with understanding the changes – including the bill on the increase in the retirement age that was passed by the State Duma on the first reading on July 19 – as they will allow the pension system to maintain its financial stability for many years. The president said the reform will allow retirement payments to remain on the same level, and he promised that in the future they will be raised, both for current and future retirees.
He criticized proposals to address the looming deficit in the pension system by raising taxes or using state funds accumulated in previous years, saying that these measures would only postpone the inevitable changes.
The president said he understands that retirement and state pensions are issues of critical importance for millions of people, so he decided to personally detail the circumstances that make the changes necessary. Putin said he wanted to present some of his own proposals that he considered “of principal importance.”
The president’s amendments include introducing the category of citizens of “pre-retirement age,” which would be five years before the retirement age set by the new law. These people will be given additional guarantees of keeping their jobs, including criminal liability for employers who fire workers approaching retirement age without valid reasons. Putin also proposed doubling unemployment benefits for people of pre-retirement age.
The president did not object to the planned increase in the retirement age for men from 60 to 65, but noted that, in his opinion, the increase for women should also be five years instead of eight, as the current draft stipulates. If Putin’s amendments are passed in the final draft of the bill, women will officially retire at 60.
Putin also promised that before the reform is fully completed, pensioners will keep all tax benefits, and state payments and payments to some categories – like pensioners who live in rural areas – would be increased.
Another proposal is to reduce the employment record needed for early retirement, which is available for certain professions, to 42 years for men and 37 years for women.
The post Putin sends clear message, this will be last term as Russian President (Video) appeared first on The Duran.