In Saxony-Anhalt, more and more pensioners are becoming social cases. The left calls for a protective shield against old-age poverty from the federal government.
Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - The number of pensioners who receive basic security in Saxony-Anhalt has increased. In June 2022, 8835 people were affected, a year earlier there were around 1400 fewer. This is the result of figures from the Federal Statistical Office, which the left-wing faction in the Bundestag asked for.
"Poverty in old age is increasing massively in Saxony-Anhalt. The price avalanche in supermarkets and energy is becoming more and more of an avalanche of poverty," said Eva von Angern, leader of the Left Party in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, the German Press Agency. The federal government is doing too little to ensure that pensioners get through the winter.
Von Angern called for a "defense shield against poverty in old age". The energy flat rate of 300 euros is not enough. "In view of the record inflation, the federal government should raise the pension level and introduce a poverty-proof minimum pension of 1,200 euros, as our neighbors Austria and the Netherlands have long had."
Basic security can be applied for by people whose income is not sufficient for their livelihood in old age or with a complete disability. The amount depends on income and assets. The German pension insurance advises that the entitlement to basic security should be checked if the income is less than 924 euros.
