SEEON (dpa-AFX) – The economist Veronika Grimm sees the CSU’s demand for an expansion of the so-called Mother’s pension critical. “I don’t think we can afford to give out any more gifts during the election campaign,” said Grimm before a guest appearance at the CSU winter retreat in Seeon Monastery in Upper Bavaria. We’ll see if that happens then.
Progress is needed elsewhere, and the expansion of the mother’s pension runs counter to this, argued Grimm and emphasized: “What we need is a reduction in non-wage labor costs and a reduction in the costs of the social security systems.” The economist is a member of the Council of Experts for the Assessment of Overall Economic Development, whose members are also referred to as economic experts.
CSU wants three pension points for all mothers
The CSU wants to score points in the federal election campaign with the mother’s pension: It wants to ensure that mothers also have three years of education counted towards their pension for children born before 1992.
Currently, up to three years of parenting time is only taken into account for children born in 1992 or later. Otherwise, a maximum of two years and six months of child-rearing time will be credited. In the joint election program with its sister party CDU, the CSU did not include the demand for an expansion of the mother’s pension.
Dobrindt sees a question of justice
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt defended his party’s “clear position”. The expansion of the mother’s pension is a “question of justice”. “It’s also about avoiding poverty in old age. The mother’s pension has made a big contribution to this, and that’s why it’s another central topic that will be implemented.”
When it comes to reducing additional wage costs, the aim is to use citizens’ money. “But not with the lifetime achievements of a generation that played a key role in building this country, and that is the mothers,” said Dobrindt. That’s why the CSU sees the mother’s pension independently of other economic issues./ctt/sk/DP/jha