Pensioners, seniors – illustrative photo.
Prague – The Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ) received almost 33,000 applications for educational allowances. About three-quarters of them were filed by men. For women with children, the pension was usually automatically increased by child support. The office is now processing applications. If it is not possible to demonstrate a greater scope of childcare, the office will not grant a bonus of 500 crowns for a raised child and will reject the application. František Boháček, the Central Director of the CSSS, told ČTK.
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Tuition fees have been introduced since January. The parent who cared more is entitled to an increase in the pension for raising children. They are mostly women. The Social Security Administration previously stated that in January the pension was automatically increased for 1.4 million women for three million of their children. about 75 percent. This number includes both widowers and divorced men,” said Boháček. The office will continue to examine cases in which it is not clear how much the applicant took care of the children. “If it is not possible to prove within the framework of the investigation of the sworn statement that the person cared to a greater extent, the applications will be rejected,” added the head of the administration.
Minister of Labor Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) repeated that the parent who cared more is entitled to the bonus. “We encounter requests from widowers for child support. However, this should have belonged mainly to their wives – mothers. Only they had lower earnings due to raising their children… Of course, a man can also receive child support, but only if he fulfills the relevant conditions,” he said minister.
Over 952,000 men and more than 1.4 million women have an old-age pension from the CSSS. In January, the average old-age pension for men was 20,710 crowns and for women 18,255 crowns. Education reduced the difference. On average, men received 20 percent more than women in December, and 13 percent in January.
19 billion crowns are needed for educational fees this year, the amount is for debt. The bonus strengthens the merit percentage of the pension, so it is also valorized together with it. According to the current legal rules, with the planned extraordinary addition in June, every 500 crowns would increase by 58 crowns, and by the end of the year it would cost an extra 1.22 billion crowns. According to the proposal of the government amendment with limited valorization, each five hundred kroner per child would increase by 12 kroner, and expenses would amount to a quarter of a billion extra by the end of the year. In the following years, the amount would increase.
The coalition is discussing possible adjustments to the education fee. Jurečka told ČTK that the discussion is only about whether education should be valorized. However, according to Finance Minister Zbyňek Stanjura (ODS), a debate on parametric changes is needed. “For example, if it should be for everyone regardless of the amount of the pension, or if there should be some limit. Should we also take into account the time when the person retired. This means that those who have been on a pension for a longer period of time had objectively less chance to secure higher pensions,” Stanjura told journalists this week.
According to the National Economic Council of the Government (NERV), it represents an educational non-systemic measure and one of the largest new expenditure items of the state without securing income. The Council recommended not to introduce it. Experts advise focusing more on equal pay for women and men, ensuring enough kindergartens and shortening long parental leave.
