Pensions: Laurent Pietraszewski argues against targeted under-indexing of benefits
In an op-ed published by Le Monde, the former pensions secretary contends that retirees have no debt to working-age people and warns against certain funding options for the system.
Laurent Pietraszewski, former lawmaker and ex-secretary of state for pensions, published an op-ed in Le Monde in which he addresses the debate on intergenerational fairness in pension policy.
According to him, contrary to an idea sometimes advanced, retirees do not owe a debt to working-age people. Nevertheless, he invites, in his own words, "settling accounts" between generations since this question is regularly raised in public debate.
Regarding funding options for the pension system, the former secretary of state distinguishes between two measures discussed in public debate. On one hand, capping the 10% tax deduction that benefits retirees could, according to him, constitute a lesser evil for contributing to pension financing.
On the other hand, he contends that targeted under-indexing of pensions, which would involve raising certain benefits by less than inflation, would represent a mistake. He does not elaborate further, in the available excerpts, on the precise reasons justifying this distinction between the two measures.
This op-ed comes as funding for the French pension system continues to be the subject of recurring debate among political actors, social partners, and experts, particularly regarding how the burden is shared between generations.
Sources
- Laurent Pietraszewski, ex-secrétaire d’Etat chargé des retraites : « Puisque l’on veut faire les comptes entre générations, faisons-les » — Le Monde — Une
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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