Erdoğan said ‘it is not possible’… Isn’t there enough budget for retirees? Prof. Dr. Aziz Çelik: ‘There is no will or choice’

With the decision of AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the minimum pension was increased from 7 thousand 500 lira to 10 thousand lira last month. Accordingly, although the basic pensions increased by 49.28 percent, the increase rate of the lowest pension was 33 percent. This figure remained well below inflation.

The minimum pension of 10 thousand TL is not even enough to meet basic needs in the expensive environment in the country.

Türk-İş announced that the hunger line increased to 16 thousand 257 TL and the poverty line increased to 52 thousand 955 TL in January. Millions of retirees are trying to make ends meet with a monthly salary of 60 percent of the hunger line and 18 percent of the poverty line.

At the AKP’s rally held in Kütahya the other day, Erdoğan said that the pension was not enough and criticized the opposition for their repeated calls for an increase. He closed the door on the raise proposal by claiming that there was no money in the budget. Erdogan“Even if we transfer the entire investment budget here, it is not enough to cover it,” he said.

IS THERE NO ENOUGH BUDGET FOR RETIREMENT?

Lecturer at Kocaeli University Department of Labor Economics and Industrial Relations Prof. Dr. Aziz CelikAccording to , Turkey has enough resources to transfer to retirees. Çelik is of the opinion that if the rate transferred from the budget to SSI in the past years is maintained, the resource cannot be mentioned.

THE SHARE ALLOCATED TO SSI DECREASED

According to the data shared by Çelik on the social media platform X, the share allocated from the budget to social security and retirees has been reduced in recent years. The rate of resources allocated from the budget to social security, which remained between 15-19 percent for many years, remained well below the level of previous years in 2024.

Table: Prof. Dr. Aziz Celik

According to the data shared by Aziz Çelik, the ratio of the resources allocated to the SSI to the total budget was 20.7 percent in 2020, 15.7 percent in 2021, 13.2 percent in 2022, and an estimated 15.9 percent in 2023. However, this rate decreased to 10.2 percent in 2024 targets.

“RETIRED PEOPLE CAN RECEIVE A 5 THOUSAND TL RAISE”

According to Çelik, even if the resources allocated to SSI are increased to the level of previous years, it is possible to complete the lowest old-age (retirement) pension to 15 thousand TL and increase the pensions by 5 thousand TL, even within the current budget size.

??There are resources for retirees, but there is no will or choice.

I CLAIM!

1??Even within the current budget size, it is possible to increase the lowest old-age (retirement) pension to 15,000 TL and increase the pension by 5 thousand TL!

2??The ratio of resources transferred from the budget to SGK to the budget since 2008… pic.twitter.com/HJoB1rz8Ni

— aziz steel (@EmeginHalleri) March 1, 2024