The one of "raise the minimum pension to one thousand euros” is not a new slogan-proposition, which Silvio Berlusconi has dusted off for this August election campaign. But how much would it actually cost to do it? Second the calculations of the Observatory on Italian public accounts, limiting itself to raising the minimum pensions to a thousand euros, the repercussion on public coffers would be considerable: in fact, the final expenditure would rise by more than 100%, going from 8,1 to 19,6 billion.
The problem is that this intervention alone would not be enough, because should also be added income-earning retirees up to twice the minimum, most of whom now have a pension income that remains below one thousand euros (the monthly average is equal to 739 euros). This way, the bill would go up by another 13,2 billion, coming to touch share 33 billion.
"Considering the 2,2% revaluation of the Aiuti Bis decree starting from November 2022 (which would affect income up to 6 times the minimum treatment) and assuming a number of pensioners for the first two brackets equal to that of 2020 - specifies the 'Observatory - the cost of the reform would be reduced slightly: 31,2 billion euros, Of which 19,5 only for pensions below the minimum".
How many people receive the minimum pension
The numbers are so high because today the social security treatments under one thousand euros are really many. According to INPS data for 2020, Italian pensioners with an income up to the minimum treatment amount to 2,1 million (13%), while those who arrive up to twice the minimum are almost double: 3,8 million (the 24%).
What is the minimum pension
We must also remember that the amount of the minimum pension varies from year to year, because all pensions are indexed to the rate of inflation with a delay of one year. For example, the 2021 minimum pension, equal to 515,58 euros, was revalued on the basis of last year's inflation rate (1,7%) and thus the 2022 minimum pension rose to 524,34 euros.
The adjustment on the revaluation
But that's not all: this revaluation is still provisional, because "it was determined on the basis of an estimate made in November 2021 - explains the Observatory - when the data relating to the months of October, November and December 2021 were still missing. inflation actually achieved in 2021 was 1,9 percent, an adjustment of 0,2% is expected".
What the Aiuti-bis decree provides for
Usually this adjustment is paid by the State in January of the following year; however, to counter the soaring inflation, with the Aid-bis decree the Draghi government has predicted an indexation of 2,2% already from October 2022. This revaluation includes not only the adjustment of 0,2%, but also an extraordinary down payment on the next indexation from October to December 2022 (and thirteenth) only for pensions with a gross monthly amount equal to or less than 2.692 euro (i.e. up to 6 times the minimum pension of 524,34 euro). Starting from November 2022, therefore, the minimum pension will increase by 2,2%, going from 524,34 to 535,86 euros.
