Gonzi wants to increase pensionable age - Labour

il poplu ried jidhol fl EU, u dahal. Kien hemm ahfna nies li pruvaw iwissu lil poplu Malti imma ghajruhom imginen. TIFTAKRU ???

@Charroll.....have you no faith that China can provide a solution to our shrinking working population problem as efficiently as it supplies us with cheaply produced manufactured goods. . Are you oblivious to China's economic aid to the US and the EU in bailing out their ailing economies and buying their government bonds. . People is what China certainly does not have a shortage of and in 25 years' time when they will own most of the US and EU economies we will get what we're given by China who is not known for it's benevolent, humanitarian stand.

The comments from BRIGHTON seem to have missed the point. Life styles are such that we are living longer regardless of the many many pitfalls of diseases and the ability of the populace to withstand them. The point of the argument is that unlike the previous numbers of our population we are not generating enough children today as we used to (the post Second World War bulge of new children produced between the 1945 and 1950s is here now) and as a consequence those working today are providing more and more for those that aren't working -children and pensioners etc. Thus if the population doesnot expand (increase) then there will progressively be more people needing support from those in work and paying taxes. It can be argued that those living to be 85 and more now are living longer as a matterof course, But we have also strived to increase the well-being of the many by better medicines and foods. The adverse effects of pollutants is not that serious an issue as was at first thought - even though they are serious issues in their own rights. There is a benefit of living longer and for all that is the best way forward: but as the demographics of the population average age move towards the 50s then the issue about financing support becomes more of an issue. The fundamental issue is that if we work for 45 years and live a further 25 years (meaning in the analogy that someone lives to 90, assuming they start work at 20, or 87 if they start work at 17) the costs to Society of maintaining pensions is enormous. I have suggested to my two sons one 18 and one 23 that they should consider banking a minimum of 33% of their take-home slaray for their future pensions now and not in ten years time. Why 33%, simply because we have to assume that inflation is zero. Now it would take a very decent Government to come clean and say this to the Public, but this is what is needed to be said. Dr Lawrence Gonzi from PN I understand realises this. I am sure that Mr Muscat must also realise this. However rather than kincking and screa,img and posturing about it all we hear is opposition rhethoric.

X' baqa izjed jaghmel dan Gonzi Pn ? Ara veru ahna poplu gwejjeb u noqodu ghal kollox u qisu xejn mhu xejn ghal Gonzi Pn, jibqa ghaddej bhal bulldozer min fuqna u x jimpurtah min haddiehor. l aqwa li huma ghaddejjien bhal rejjiet. Gonzi PN mohhu mistrieh li jirtira sa 62. IZ - ZEJJED KOLLU ZEJJED.

Charroll - Isn't there a built in assumption in the pensions argument that our generation and the next is going to live as longer as or longer than today's pensioners? . Longevity is adversely affected by several factors: an increasingly stressful lifestyle; a deterioration in standards of living; environmental pollution; the pharmacuetical chemicals we are prescribed and the overuse of antibiotics; the chemicals we ingest from our food as residue from agriculture, animal husbandry and fish farming; the processing and chemical treatment of food to extend it's shelf life and appearance. . Those currently living into their 80s and 90s had few of the above stressors years.

Irrespective of the notion that the correspondents here think that the correct pension age is the current one, the issue which most people cannot understand is the fact that regardless of the time at which we retire the Pensions Pot (that mystical figure of money that pays out these Pensions) is untenable. Here is the analogy that should be considered. Imagine that an average person starts work at - say - 20. He works until he is 65 (the current point) and he then lives for a further 25 years. At the current stage of his employment (age 20) he may be considered to be earning say €20,000-00 per year. Over his life time his salary will increase in accordance with inflation and prowess of becoming more senior and useful to his employer. Thus after 45 years at say 3% increase in salary his original €20,000-00 per year will be €73,400-00 (use the standard calculation 1.03**44 x €20,000-00.) Now let's assume that he has increased his worth to his employers over his working life by a third...this would mean that in 45 years time he would be paid €100,000-00 per year at retirement. If we assume that an acceptable pension is 33.3% of a final wage then his pension would be €34,000-00 per year. This would then need to be index-linked at the same inflation rate of 3% then the final pension after 25 years would be €69,000-00 per year. Now continue with this logic for a moment ... A 20 year-old starting his first job is paid €20,000-00 per year and after 45 years his salary increases €100.000-00. He then retires after the 45 years and takes a one-third pension at €34,000-00 which after 25 years also increases with inflation to €69,000-00 per year. If by using best mathematical principles it should be obvious to anyone that for a person who is working for 45 years that he needs to have saved around 40% of his total salary (paid in as an employer and employee) to pay for his pension arrangement. This is the reality of life, and yet no one in Government or Opposition Parties is spelling this out to the Public. The time has come for some real and pointed short talking to the Public. If the demographics of the population changes as we are all to aware that it has then the numbers of people who will be in full time working will decrease substantially over the next few decades. And unless and until the ideas of pensions is fully addressed the implications of being able to have a fully state funded and personal pension system with a meaningful power of expenditure will have to be forsaken. What we as a public in Malta have seen occur in Greece and Ireland and Portugal are the tip of the Pensions Bubble that will affect us all. For too long - some of -our neighbouring countries in Europe have relied on the fact that a job is for life and that salaries are paid and pensions are acceptable and linked to salaries after reaching an age of 60 years (or if you were in some countries where Armed Forces and Fire Brigades and Police and Civil Servants were dominant, as low as 55 years!) Such an issue is not sustainable. This implies that in some countries where the Government and Public Employment Sector and Pensions system is so devised that it requires the Private Sector to pay over 55% of its net income to pay for these items alone. More importantly it also means that the Pensions Pot (currently estimated as being 22.5% of the net Public Expenditure) is vastly under-funded and to get around this the notion of increasing Pensionable Age above 65 - even up to 70 may very well have to be considered. The alternative is to see a major drop in the Pensions Payments to the retired. If I was in Government (and for that read also the Opposition) there is only one choice initially and that is increase retirement age. Oh yes there are those in this paper that say why should they? Well frankly the tide has turned and irrespective of the position now paying for people with a meaningful pension for 25 30 or 45 years cannot be maintained at the current taxation rates. There is only one source of Government Money and that is the Public and Tax Payer (regardless of how the revenue is collected) and it has to be accounted for. Those in these columns that say let's get out of the EU seriously are missing the point. If you were to opt out then by rights the EU could demand its support funds back...it's unlikely! More importantly though the many Companies that have set up in Malta and who now provide jobs would leave in their droves and the typical investments we heard of earlier in the Spring for an Inward Investment of €680 million by the Applied Biofuels Limited in developing renewable transport fuels in Malta in their three projects that are shortly to start and which will create 800 and more local highly-paid jobs in Malta and Gozo will be cancelled at a stroke. Companies do not invest this sort of money in a "Here-today-gone-tomorrow" Country that wants to be in a trading relationship with others just because of indifferent market trends. No they want to invest in Malta because of real and tangible benefits. The same could almost be said about the Smart City complex: let there be one whisper of anyone suggesting leaving the EU and they will also stop investing. The original comments about the Raising of the Age of Retirement are an obvious one of interest to many in Malta but it isn't that onerous an issue.

Of course gonzi would find no problem to increase the pensionable age,: 1. He's already well on his way to recieve his. 2. Already made sure he gets a really good one by increasing his present salary by €26,000 a year. 3. The new pensionable age comes into effect when he would have had his and enjoying a life of Riley.

GHAL ELEZZJONI LI GEJJA, PAR IDEJN SODI GHANDU INIZZEL FIL PROGRAMM ELETTORALI TAL PN LI L ETA TAL PENZJONI SE TIZDIET. DAN PRIM MINISTRU KUMMIDJANT TA VERU. MUR ARA HADDIEM T TA XI 70 SENA FIL KOSTRUZZJONI, TARZNA WAITERS POSTMEN SEJRIN GHAX XOGHOL. IL VERA GONZI NISMA ID DISKORS TIEGHEK U NIDHAQ

MHUX GHALHEKK MA JOLLIX IL PAGI HA IKOLLOK TAHDEM GHOMROK KOLLU SAKEMM TISPICCA TBEZZAQ GHIDLU LILL DAN IL QADDIS NEPUTI TA DAK LI TEFA IN NIES L INFERN WARA MEWTHOM U DAN JITFAHHHOM L INFERN F HAJJITOM, DAK GONZILLA

Mal-COLA issa il-UNIONS iridu jiddiskutu dwar. l-ghoti tal-walking Aids, Hrieqi, pilloli tal-presjoni, zokkor. Introdduzzjoni ta nurses fuq il-postijiet tax-xoghol. Ma tahsbux li wasal iz-zmien li l-POPLU jghid "ISSA DAQSHEKK" Hierga xi Pastorali fuq id-drittijiet tal-Haddiem jew dawk inhalluhom ghal meta jerga jitla il-Labour?

X'Ardir ghandhu dan Gonzi! Gabna kif gabna hu u l-partit tieghu tul-ammistrazzjonijiet Nazzjonalisti , ma baqghax lura biex ha ZIDIET FENOMENALI u veru qieghed jitrattana ta' suditi u mhux ta' Poplu demokratiku! . Qedin hemm biex nissusidjaw il-perkacci tieghu u ta' madwaru bit-taxxi taghna! . Mindu telghu in-Nazzjonalisti fil-Gvern la baqa Kaxxa ta' Malta, La baqa' Assi Nazzjonali, la baqa sigurta fuq il-post tax-xoghol, la baqa' Penzjoni mal 61.... u zgur ma baqghax SERHAN IR-RAS kif kien ihobb iwieghed dan l-Imbierek ta' Eddie!

Well said CJF and we started the ball rolling with the selling -off ( criminally neglegent ) of the MIA to rapacious foreigners .Membeership of the vipers nest cabal known as the EU will eventually be our downfall .

Apparti kollox, kemm hu fizikament possibli li haddiem specjalment ta l-id ikompli jahdem aktar snin wara li jaghlaq is-sittin? Litteralment ser nispiccaw minn fuq il bank tax-xoghol dritt ac-cimiterju.

Nahseb li se nispiccaw mix-xoghol bil-bastun!!!

Can the Prime Minister tell us how many pensions he would be receiving and from whom ? From what it is said, one can understand that Dr.Gonzi and his P.N. M.P's are certain that they will not be elected to Govern Malta again. What I think the Maltese would like to have at the moment is that first of all, that Dr.Gonzi will call a general election and a referendum requesting the Maltese if they would like to remain a member in the E.U., seeing every thing that we once had going to foreigners and we will soon be their slaves.

If Gonzi know how to take difficult decisions and he expects we believe him his decision should be to fully remove the wage increase he and his ministers took. But for him difficult decisions mean decision burdens on population he and his MP's excluded from them.

Jekk jibqa sejjer ekk il-pajjiz wasalna fi stat li ahjar ma tahdimx u tghix kif jirnexxilek ghallinqas tghid ghext mhux miet fix xoghol. misthija

B'Par idejn sodi u finanzi tal pajjiz daqshekk sodi li stajt tiehu zjieda ta 500 mitt ewro fil gimgha, B'pajjiz daqshekk b'sahtu li stajna nhallsu 4 miljuni commission tal bwsc, b'louis galea jghidilna 10 miljun l'hemm u l-hawn ma jamlux differenza, b'sussidju lil arriva ta 7 miljuni fis sena, b'xiri ta rj70's biex nidhlu fl-ewropa b'daqshekk finanzi fis sod tal pajjiz immexxi minn prim ministru u partit ghall 30 sena b'progress enormi rekord f'kull qasam fejn thares madwarek, poplu sinjur tant li bil kemm tisma bi strikes l-anqas li nistenna hu li tgidli ahdem ta welder sa sebghn u jekk jista jkun ifga u mut bid duhan qabel tiehu l-pensjoni halli nifrankha. Meta jkun se jmut xi hadd jiddispjacina nitolbuh ghalih halli jghix u jirkupra biex gonzi jghidlu uff se jkoli ntik pensjoni pero np se nerga nibghatek tahdem sa sebghin forsi xorta tmut qabel. Sistema mderna kif indawru l-arlogg ghas sittinijiet fejn pensjoni ma kienitx tezisti

Dr.Gonzi malajr solva il-problema ghalih u ghall ta' madwaru ghax zied lilu nnifsu €500 fil-gimgha . Ara ghal dawk il-pensjonanti li ghandhom pensjoni tas-servizz mit-tezor , lill dawn ghalkemm skond kliemu stess u sahansitra jirrikonoxxi li qed issir ingustizzja maghhom , xorta baqa' ma irrangax l-anomalija li titnaqqsihom zewg terzi mil-pensjoni tal-bolla , li hi pensjoni kontributorja u li ghalhekk dawn il-pensjonanti kienu ikkontribwew ghaliha u li bi dritt ghandhom jiehduha kollha . Dan hu kollu serq legalizzat minn min suppost jipprotegi lill-pensjonanti wara li jkunu taw aktar min nofs hajjithom f-servizz lill-pajjiz.

Of course he and all other goverments want to increase the pensionable age as they are all skint and cany afford such payments.However,he should be addressing the disparity in this pensionable age which depends not just on age but discriminates between gender-as women have unaccountably for decades been allowed to draw their pension before men-WHY SO AND IMAGINE THE OUTCRY IF THIS GENDER INEQUALITY WAS REVERSED?

Ergghu capcpulu!! Hekk tridu mela!!

With a weekly increase of €500 (and no pension capping) Dr Gonzi has assured himself of a wealthy retirement. The rest would have to keep on working and working, hoping that they would not drop dead at their place of work. Life is not all work!