‘Retiring at 66 has to go’: Taoiseach signals radical shake-up of pension system

40 comments
  1. A new tax to pay to corporate landlords for those not able to own property in their retirement and you can pay it for another few years too.

    Remind me, what happened to the money in the national pension pot?

  2. This is true dystopian stuff. We are going backwards. With automation and increasing technological advances improving our ability to efficiently produce what we need to live, we should be looking for ways to work less while making our lives easier.

  3. The retirement age for the state pension simply has to rise. There is no way around it.

    The ratio of workers to pensioners is going to drop significantly over th coming decades. Making the current state pension rates and age unaffordable to the state.

  4. FFFGG possible slogans 2022

    *No Country For Old Men*

    *Pissing On The Backs Of The Poor for 4 More*

    *Die On A Trolley In Tallaght Or Invest In Denis O Brien Health*

    *Vulture funds serve an essential service to Housing and election campaigns.*

  5. Ah, it’s easy; just raise the retirement age by one year on an annual basis and all those sticky problems with funding the state pension will soon be gone, and all without costing you the votes of any current pensioners!

  6. Needs to be enforced pension contributions by all employers from when people start working. It doesn’t even need to be big when it starts early. Issue is that even when people can afford to contribute to a pension it’s by their 30’s at least and the contributions matter a lot less as they don’t have as much time to grow.

  7. Meanwhile in France the idea of extending past 62 provokes mass riots. I think if you are suffiiciently motivated there should be a provision to work more but idea of fundamentally shifting the goal posts is dystopian stuff.

    Some working people can’t wait to retire and it also unlocks opportunity for younger people. Eventually some people have to get out of the way and open the field for people coming behind them.

  8. Okay, enough misery towards this stuff. The reality is that he’s right…

    … Realistically none of us Joe/Jane Bloggs who are below 40 are ever going to retire anyway.

  9. I’m the biggest critic of FF/FG there is, but this is presented misleadingly. It’s not necessarily raising the retirement age, it’s intended to make the system more flexible, in theory including more flexibility for people to retire early but receive fewer benefits.

    “The changes will extend to granting “more flexibility and options [for people] in terms of when to take up their pensions” and that the “rigid, mandatory cut-off point” for retirement would end. “This idea of retiring at 66 has to go,” he said.”

    “However, the age at which people will qualify for the State pension will remain at 66, it is understood, with some increases in PRSI payments being indicated in years ahead to help pay for this.”

    “A planned hike in the pension age to 67 was deferred – it was due to happen last year – and instead the coalition established a commission on the matter, which recommended a gradual increase in the qualification age from 66 to 68 over the next 17 years. **But this is now off the table as part of the new emerging plan.**”
    .

  10. The title is very misleading. The article says that the pension age won’t rise but that people will have the CHOICE to continue working if they wish and that there will be more flexibility leading up to retirement age. Who knows if any of this will actually happen, but to me, more flexibility and a stop to mandatory retirement clauses is a good thing.

  11. The reality is that the current state pension is a pyramid scheme. They either have to cut the amount people receive to an unliveable amount or raise the retirement age.

    Nobody wants to work to an older age, and many physically can’t due to infirmity. However, as with all of our problems in Ireland we just deny and complain and politicians backtrack as they care more about the next election cycle than the disaster 25 years down the line.

  12. Clkckbait. People need to read the article not the headline.

    The plan he mentions is to allow more flexibility with your retirement date. Retire early get less, retire later get more.

  13. To any younger people reading this who do not have your own private pension please do yourself a favour and start one now. The money you put in when very young no matter how much is the best investment you will ever make. You must control your own future especially if you want any quality of life when you get old.

  14. A couple of things:

    1. Why is he making this announcement in Japan

    2. Is he trying to win over some of the sceptics who are waiting for his resignation when his tenure as Taoiseach is over?

  15. Younger generations can’t afford to buy a house so pension is the last thing on their mind. We will have a whole generation with embarrassing pensions set up really late who will be forced to work till they die pretty much!

  16. Easy for him to say. After his oarty is destroyed in the next election he can ride off into the sunset with his Taoiseach’s pension.

  17. They need to support family friendly initiatives and childcare and stop pretending that a pregnancy is this major earth shattering health problem. There are no where near enough live births for over a generation now to pay taxes and pensions and supply services support a swelling and ageing population of two of the most entitled generations.

  18. If I liked my job I’d be happy to work until I can’t. Unfortunately I’ve hated every job I’ve had and I don’t see that changing

  19. People should not be forced to work past 65 or be forced to retire at 65. Has to shift to being based on choice. Some people are in bad enough shape in their 60s that they physically cant work anymore and those are the ones who get screwed by policies that force people to work longer.

  20. So the government is bringing in policies to “defer” retirement. They are also constantly making policy changes that reduce the chances of home ownership and increase rents. Tldr: Work forever and make landlords rich

  21. So in future if the state pension is totally inadequate for people to live on, the fix won’t be to lobby the government to implement a proper pension but instead I can “choose” to work longer.

    Looks like they found their solution to the problem of people still renting when they retire.

  22. Well well well! If it isn’t the consequences of trying to privatise every single fucking thing we have!

    Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. Republic my fucking hole it’s never been anything but a fucking plutocracy.

  23. There is something to this. I mean not everyone gets a good chance at retirement savings/contributions. Plus being able to work part of the time and draw down part of your pension would be a great flexible option. I know that my grand uncle (going 90 something at this stage) works down by the local creamery a few days a week. Not everyone want to sit at home but still be part of their community. I know I can’t stay put for too long so I would be up for such an option.

  24. If you become unemployed in your late 50s or early 60s whose going to employ you? Some people currently over 50 can’t get a job due to ageism so anyone older is rightly fecked.

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