Govt may return to pension age increase in 5 years - Putin
09:34, 31 May 2011
MOSCOW. May 31. KAZINFORM Russia's government may return to the issue of increasing a pension age no earlier than in five years, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with workers of the Tver excavator plant on Monday; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
"According to my convictions, there is no need to raise the pension age," Putin said. "And then in five-ten-fifteen years we have to consider realities of our life."
The head of government expressed confidence that the government has enough resources to resolve the issue of filling the Pension Fund through other means, for instance through improving tax collection, raising efficiency of the pension system's functioning and increasing labour productivity.
Moreover, he noted that it is necessary to take into account the living standards of citizens, which are higher in Europe than in Russia.
"Retirement age cannot be regarded irrespective of the country's living standards," Putin said.