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PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said he looked forward to a "healthy debate" on the increase of the pension age from sixty to 62 when it reached Parliament.
He told Members of Parliament (MPs) during the debate on the draft 2014 budget on Wednesday that the ordinance for the pension age increase by two years, was making its way through the necessary channels before it can be tabled in Parliament. "It is now at the Advisory Council and should be on its way back to government with intention to forward it to Parliament and we will deal with that when it reaches Parliament," Gumbs said.
He was at the time reacting to questions posed during the first round of the meeting. He said the pension age could not be increased without Parliament having its input and debating the issue. "And I look forward to a healthy debate on this." The prime minister said it will be "very important" for St. Maarten to maintain the sustainability of the pension fund to cover persons who had worked in the past and were eligible to collect their pension.
