Posted on 07/20/2018 5:45:33 AM PDT by GonzoII
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings have survived reports of high-level corruption and falling living standards in recent years, but they are now falling quickly because of a government plan to raise the national retirement age.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced last month that the state pension age would rise gradually beginning next year — from 55 to 63 for women and from 60 to 65 for men. The increase marks the first change to retirement age norms, which Soviet authorities established in the 1930s.
The announcement triggered anger and nationwide protests that appear likely to grow.
Nearly 60 percent of Russian men die before age 65, according to statistics. Although average Russian women can expect to live to 73, many say their employment opportunities are limited once they reach middle age.
“A significant portion of Russian citizens will not survive to retirement,” said a statement by the Confederation of Labor of Russia, a national trade union that is spearheading opposition to the pension reforms.
The government announced the move on the opening day of the World Cup in an apparent bid to bury bad news.
Mr. Putin previously pledged to never increase the retirement age for Russians.
In his remarks on June 14, Mr. Medvedev said the government’s value-added tax would rise from 18 percent to 20 percent to draw an extra $9.6 billion into the Russian treasury. The prime minister described the increase as “unavoidable and long-overdue.”
The announcements upset many Russians outside the government.
“I’ve worked my whole life and paid taxes, and now the government wants to cheat me out of my pension,” Stanislav Orlov, a 47-year-old information technology worker in Moscow, told The Washington Times.
Mr. Putin’s approval ratings have slipped from 77 percent to 63 percent since the reforms were announced...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Is it the vodka? I imagine.
Guess they’ll have to pretend to work even longer now.
This reform is dead on arrival in the Duma.
With Putin a lane duck, he misjudged the mood of the people.
Feeling is widespread the authorities don’t care about society and this adds fuel to the perception of the government.
And the steep fall in Putin’s personal popularity is a warning sign.
Sounds like Putin needs to come to Washington... Which is much better than Trump going to Moscow.
Many think Putin is an absolute dictator, like Stalin.
Nothing could be further from the truth, he’s on more shaky ground than most might think.
63% most politicians would kill for that..wait a minute
Putin is a land duck? I don’t get it. I have been told he is a dictator.
So Putin’s a Democrat? Doing to Russia what’s happening in San Francisco!
Ain't that the truth...it's UNVERSAL.
The thing is......these were very moderate reforms (US retirement age is 67) that every western country needs to do. People are living longer than they did when these programs were implemented and having fewer kids. Ergo, the math doesn’t work anymore. By far the least painful way to close the pension gap is to raise the retirement age a few years.
Doesn’t his current (and final, per term limits) term end in 2024? Not exactly what I’d call a lame duck.
Eventually, you run out of other people’s money.
Why does the world hate men so much?
How does Russia even afford to pay these pensions?
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