In view of growing poverty in old age, the Saxon Left Party is insisting on a rapid solution to the problem. Party leader Susanne Schaper sees this in a pension reform. "Only the statutory pension can solve the problem - but it must be expanded and made fairer," she told the German Press Agency.
"All workers should pay contributions into the pension pot for their entire income from their job and the financial market - including civil servants, the self-employed and freelancers such as politicians." In addition, the contribution assessment thresholds should be abolished so that people with high incomes are obliged to contribute to the community of solidarity. "No pension should be less than €1,200 net per month."
Schaper - a proven social politician - had asked the state parliament for the latest figures on poverty in old age. According to these figures, the number of people in Saxony who are dependent on basic old-age benefits has continued to grow strongly. In the first quarter of this year alone, almost a thousand more people were affected, bringing the total to 18,160. In 2003, the figure was 6,156, in 2010 it exceeded the 10,000 mark.
