Ar teisėta recesijos metu mažinti socialinio draudimo pensijas? : ekonomisto požiūris

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Pensija; Socialinio draudimo pensijos; Socialinis draudimas; Socialinė ekonomika; Socialinės garantijos; Teisė į nuosavybę; Pension; Property rights; Social insurance; Social insurance pension; Social security; The social economy.

ENThe article discusses legitimacy of reduction of social insurance pensions in the time of recession. Lithuania and Latvia were the only two countries in the EU who reduced pensions. The question if this action was in line with the Lithuanian Constitution required to reflect on the nature of pensions. The Lithuanian Constitutional Court based its opinion on a presumption that social insurance pension is a property of a pensioner, and the property right is defended by the Constitution. This article presents an opposite opinion that paygbased pension cannot be treated as private property. It is only the right of the retired generation to share income with the working one. Even more - if a pension is a property, then its amount should be fixed and not adjusted in line with the income of the working generation. If the aim of the pension system is to ensure that the standard of living of retirees should reflect the standard of living of working generation, this aim contradicts the presumption that pension is a property. As a consequence it is argued in the article that requirements to pay compensation for the retirees who lost part of their pension due to reduction are not based on valid arguments and are not justified from the economic point of view. [From the publication]