The opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) party expects that its petition in support of the second private pension pillar, which has hitherto been signed by approximately 90,000 people, will be ready to be submitted to parliament by the beginning of September, said MP Ľudovít Kaník, chairman of SDKÚ's caucus.
The initiators of the petition seek to prevent the adoption of changes brought about by new legislation on social insurance, through which the government wants to cut salary deductions paid into the second pillar from 9 percent to 4 percent. The petition must be signed by at least 100,000 people in order for it to be debated in parliament. Kaník told the TASR newswire that the petition is a by-product of SDKÚ's efforts to salvage the Slovak pension system via parliamentary agreement on a constitutional law due to be discussed later in September. Kaník claims that SDKÚ does not plan to launch any special campaign to dissuade contributors from leaving the second pillar after it is opened up in September. SDKÚ MPs tried to submit the petition to parliament last week, but parliament did not have any legal obligation to add it to its agenda as it had been signed by only 80,000 people at that time.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
