BOLZANO. They no longer call it a life pension, because it is a word that has become unpronounceable, but “deferred compensation”. In fact, however, it is a good and proper life annuity, the management of which will return to the hands of the regional council, turning the clock back to 2014, therefore ten years ago, when in the wake of the scandal of the actualized life pensions, the regional council of the time, led by Ugo Rossi and Arno Kompatscherdecided to eliminate the life pensions for incumbent and future elected councilors, replacing them with contributions to a supplementary pension managed by a pension fund chosen by the councilor.
The U-turn, with the introduction of the life pension, renamed “deferred compensation” (already with this legislature), now comes on the initiative of the president of the regional council Roberto Paccher (Lega) who has submitted a bill under his signature, following the model of what has been done by other Regions. In essence, it is expected to replace the system according to which each councilor currently pays the mandatory social security contribution of 919.24 euros per month, equal to 8.8% of his gross councilor’s salary of 10,445.93 euros, in his supplementary social security, together with the more substantial contribution paid by the regional council, set at a maximum of 24.20% of the salary (2,527.92 euros per month).
This contribution can now be reduced to the minimum amount of 12% depending on the pension position of each councilor. And the council does not pay anything for councilors who are entitled to a direct pension. Upon reaching the required pension requirements (67 years which can be reduced to 60 based on the number of years of mandate) the supplementary pension fund provides for the payment of an annuity accrued based on the contributions paid. The reform proposed by Paccher, which then follows a bill already proposed in the previous legislature by Josef Noggler (Svp), which failed to reach completion, brings the management of social security contributions back to the Region, providing for a deferred indemnity, which, unlike the old pensions, is calculated using a contributory system.
The contribution paid by the councilor for the deferred allowance remains at 8.8%, but the share paid by the regional council is always the highest at 24.2%, regardless of the councilor’s social security position. This means that, although in his report President Paccher emphasizes that the reform will not lead to an increase in spending, in fact it is very predictable that there will be increases. To be entitled to the deferred allowance, a mandate as a regional councilor of “at least five years, even non-consecutive” will be sufficient. It is expected to be revalued every year and in the event of the death of the holder, his wife and children will be entitled to the survivor’s allowance. As was the case for the old life annuity.
But above all, with this reform the Region will have to directly manage a fund with money for the “new life annuities” that it was happy to have gotten rid of, given the related problems. At the time of the reviled Thaler law (2012) the fund for life annuities had reached hundreds of millions of euros, which were entrusted by tender to Sgr (savings management companies). A return to the past.
2024-08-25 02:28:31