Catholic Church seeks ways to fund pensions
As the Swiss population grows older, the more vulnerable members of society must not be left disadvantaged, says a church study issued on Thursday.
The Justitia et Pax commission of the Roman Catholic Swiss Bishops’ Conference has drawn up proposals outlining new ways of guaranteeing the funding of old age pensions.
Among the suggestions is the introduction of an earmarked inheritance tax. If this was insufficient, a temporary rise in VAT could also be implemented.
The study comes out against raising the pension age, but says people wanting to work for longer should be allowed to do so.
“Greater flexibility over pensionable age is desirable in both directions,” it says.
It calls for the same retirement age for men and women. The study also says there is no reason to panic about the funding of pensions.
“Pressure can be eased significantly mainly by sustainable economic growth and immigration,” it notes.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.