SaS Doesn't Consider 13th Pensions to Be Social or Solidarity Based

Bratislava, April 18 (TASR) - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party doesn't consider the new setting of the thirteenth pension to be either social or solidarity-based, the party said on Thursday in response to the amendment to the Social Insurance Act, according to which the 13th pension will no longer be a social benefit and will become a new pension benefit paid out by social insurance company Socialna poistovna. The amendment to the law was approved by Parliament on Thursday. "I don't consider this pension to be a solidarity pension or a social pension, because the maximum amount of the pension will be given to those pensioners who have the highest pensions and the minimum amount of the pension will be given to those who have the lowest pensions," said SaS MP Vladimir Ledecky. The sum of the thirteenth pension for individual pension benefits will be calculated from the average monthly sum of a given pension for the whole previous calendar year. If the average sum of a given pension is lower than €300, the sum of thirteenth pension will be at least €300. SaS also criticised the decision on the grounds that Slovakia doesn't have enough financial resources for the new 13th pensions. The state has estimated the expenditure on this measure for this year at more than €828 million, with €100 million more to be spent next year. The thirteenth pension will now be paid by Socialna poistovna. "Socialna poistovna must be given additional €1.6 billion this year from the state budget and the state budget must borrow this money," pointed out SaS MP Marian Viskupic. am/mcs