Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) has recently proposed that a consultative referendum be held on the draft law on the pension supplement for artists with outstanding achievements. As the SDS MP Karmen Furman said at a press conference, the bill divides citizens into first- and second-class citizens.
“We in the Slovenian Democratic Party propose that a consultative referendum be held on the draft law on the supplements to the pensions for outstanding achievements in the field of arts before a final decision is taken in the National Assembly. Let the citizens tell us whether they are in favour of approving a law in the National Assembly that would allow only a few privileged citizens to receive a pension supplement,” said the SDS MP.
MP Karmen Furman began the press conference by pointing out that of the approximately 544,000 pension recipients today, just over 300,000 pensioners (58 percent) receive a pension below the poverty threshold. 52,000 pensioners receive a pension of less than 500 euros. As if pensions were not low enough, the coalition has long been announcing a pension reform that will cut pensions even further.
With bonuses, pensions would reach over 3,000 euros
“At the same time, the government of Dr Robert Golob and the Ministry of Culture, under the agenda of the Left party (Levica), have the audacity to propose a law that grants extremely high pension supplements to a privileged few. With these supplements, this privileged few could receive a pension with supplements of more than 3,000 euros. Two days ago, the government or the government coalition adopted an annual pensioners’ allowance which will be only 5 euros higher in nominal terms per group next year,” the SDS MP pointed out.
Meanwhile, the bill on the supplements to pensions for outstanding achievements in the arts could allow some privileged individuals to receive supplements of up to 1,500 euros.
The SDS parliamentary group believes that the government is destroying the pension system by dividing citizens into first- and second-class citizens.
“The pensions paid should reflect the contributions made. However, according to the draft law, such distribution of taxpayers’ money to selected artists would come at the expense of all those who have paid into the pension system,” MP Furman pointed out.
She then recalled that cultural workers themselves had warned in the public debate that the bill put them in an unequal position. The MP believes that the law is discriminatory and does not follow the principle of equal treatment.
The Ministry is hiding the recipients of allowances
“The adoption of the law is also marked by the Ministry of Culture hiding information, because we do not know who would receive the allowances or supplements and, above all, why. To this day, Annex 1, or the list of recipients, has not been made public, despite promises by the Ministry representatives. So much for the transparency of the bill itself,” the SDS MP revealed, adding that the government had failed to name even two countries in the bill that had the same or a similar system of granting pension supplements.
“So, at a time when pensioners are living in increasing poverty, when even those who have paid into the pension fund for 40 years are receiving pensions below the poverty line, when despite the crisis, pensioners are being left without a winter supplement and at the same time, they are being taxed with new taxes and contributions, when one ministry, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, is trying to convince us that the sustainability of the pension system can only be sustained by further cuts, which are predicting even worse times for pensioners, the Ministry of Culture is drafting a bill, which is being adopted by the Robert Golob government, to grant a special supplement to the pensions of certain privileged cultural favourites,” she concluded.
S. K.
