MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Economy Minister wants Argentines to retire older

Dujovne also said there was a danger of hyperinflation in Argentina

Former Argentine Economy Minister Nicolás Dujovne said people should retire at age 68, regardless of their sex, in a country where under current legislation men do so at 65 and women at 60.

The former official under then-President Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) explained during a TV interview that “Argentina last modified the retirement age in 1993” when it went “from 55 to 65 for men and 60 for women.”

Dujovne argued that “since 1993 until today, Argentina has fortunately increased life expectancy by 3 years; then if we adapt to the last time we modified the retirement age, we should go to 68 years” and “it makes no sense

to have a different retirement age for men than for women.” He also pointed out that “women have a longer life expectancy than men.”

The minister under whom Argentina borrowed from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be where it is these days, said he felt “vindicated” after current Minister Sergio Massa announced his stance regarding the fiscal deficit.

“The economy we are seeing is going nowhere. Poverty is skyrocketing, children are going to live in other countries...; there is a feeling of hopelessness,” Dujovne elaborated while warning inflation this year would be “very high.”

Dujovne added that he would change the retirement age gradually, so as to not affect those who are about to retire. He also called for the abolishment of special retirement regimes, such as the one for presidents, vice-presidents, judges, diplomats, and members of Congress.

He also drew the spotlight onto the 1,100,000 disability pensions already existing, that in Dujovne's view, exceed by far the most pessimistic projections whereby at most there should be around 300,000 people collecting

those benefits even with all “the diseases we have had, the pandemics, the wars, among others...”

“Most the disability pensions are fake. And, of course, they should not be taken away from anyone who needs them. Moreover, it can even be higher and with better benefits,” he stressed.

Dujovne also admitted Argentina was in danger of “hyperinflation” and needed to change its course to lower public spending and recover the fiscal surplus, lower taxes, labor reform, and pension reform.

“We need to do a lot of things that are difficult. If they are going to throw stones at us let's move forward as much as we have to. We need to rebuild a capitalist system that is competitive, that creates jobs..., that works. Society is asking us to have a north as the previous government had,” he said.

Regarding the debt with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he pointed out: “The debt we took was to pay the debt that came from the previous government, this government borrowed twice as much as we did” and regarding the renegotiation, he considered that the goals “are incorrect” and that a “comprehensive program” was needed.