Status: 15.01.2024, 10:00 a.m.
By: Amy Walker
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The chairwoman of the Economic Wise Men, Monika Schnitzer, is rather unimpressed by the budget compromise of the traffic light. From their point of view, one should have dared more.
Berlin – The compromise on the 2024 federal budget was reached before Christmas, but there is still a debate within the traffic light coalition about whether something should not be changed after all. This is the case, for example, with the abolition of the agricultural diesel subsidy, which has met with fierce protests.
From the point of view of Monika Schnitzer, chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts, popularly known as the economic experts, the traffic light did not achieve "the big hit we needed" with its compromise. That's what she says in an interview with Focus. In it, she reaffirms her demand to go to the pension system to save billions.
Schnitzer: Mother's pension costs the state billions every year
"The maternity pension, which was introduced in 2014 for mothers with children born before 1992, costs us tens of billions of euros every year. It has no steering function," Schnitzer said in an interview with Focus. "That was purely an election gift," she continues, repeating the demand she had already made in an interview with the Tagesspiegel in December 2023. "Instead of the mother's pension, the railway could have been renovated or bridges could have been built," she says.
What is the maternity pension?
The mother's pension refers to an improvement in the benefits of the statutory pension insurance for parents whose children were born before 1992. It was introduced on 1 July 2014, when the child-raising period was extended from 24 to 1 calendar months. Since 2019 January 1992, all parents with children born before 30 have 36 months per child. (For comparison, for children born later, it is <> months)
In this case, the child-rearing period increases the pension in about the same way as if the mother or father had continued to earn the same amount on average and paid contributions after the birth as before. However, only one parent can be credited for child-rearing time – but it is possible to split it up. Specifically, according to Stiftung Warentest, the pension increases by almost 1992 euros per month for a child born before 85 for a child-rearing period. With two children, it is 167 (East) or 171 (West) euros per month. If the children were born after 1992, it is about 100 or 103 euros per month for one and 201 or 205 euros per month for two children, according to Stiftung Warentest.
At the same time, Schnitzer also understands why the traffic light has not cut back on pensions. After all, abolishing the maternity pension would be extremely unpopular with voters. "I would have liked to see more willingness to burden one's own clientele and more courage to take measures that are not so popular with one's own electorate," the economist continued.
Retirement at 63 should also be abolished
Monika Schnitzer is not only attacking the mother's pension, but also the retirement at 63 again: "Anyone who has worked for 45 years should be able to retire without any deductions – for example, the roofer who can no longer practice this profession in old age. However, the scheme is mainly used by people who earn average and are in above-average health," she explains. However, it is precisely these people who are needed now, due to the shortage of skilled workers.
Monika Schnitzer is the chairwoman of the so-called Economic Wise Men © Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
Retirement at 63 has long been the subject of criticism for precisely these reasons. Former Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) also wants to abolish early retirement. "The 'retirement at 63' costs prosperity, burdens future generations and sets the wrong incentives," Spahn said in May. Since then, criticism of the system has only increased – and even more so due to the budget ruling. It was Schnitzer's colleague, Veronika Grimm, who got the ball rolling and said in an interview with the newspapers of the Funke media group: "In principle, savings in pensions are possible. For example, the pension from 63 or the mother's pension could be put up for discussion."
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In the end, the traffic light didn't get to the pension, at least not directly. However, the federal pension subsidy has been reduced – but according to the pension insurance, this will not have a direct impact on the amount of pensions for the time being.