The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, promulgated this Friday the Decree-Law granting pensioners in the banking sector an exceptional supplement equivalent to half a pension, approved by the government on April 27.
“The President of the Republic registered the step taken to meet the legitimate expectations of bank employees and promulgated the government diploma creating the exceptional supplement for pensioners in the banking sector, amending Legislative Decree No. 57-C/ 2022, of September 6 , in its current terms, establishing exceptional measures to support families to mitigate the effects of inflation,” said a note published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic on the Internet.
On April 27, the government approved “the Decree-Law creating the exceptional supplement for pensioners in the banking sector”, according to the communiqué of that Council of Ministers.
“For reasons of justice and fairness, a legal solution has been implemented that extends to pensioners in the banking sector the exceptional allowance granted to pensioners in October 2022 under the measures to support families to mitigate the effects of inflation,” added the government to it. the explanation.
This decree law was adopted about two months after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the banking unions of UGT, the Portuguese Banking Association and the government.
Bank pensioners from private bank pension funds will thus receive an amount equivalent to half a pension, a measure that will cover more than 50,000 pensioners, UGT Secretary General Mário Mourão said in February after signing the memorandum.
In October last year, as part of the package of measures to support families to mitigate the effects of inflation, the government paid an exceptional supplement to pensioners Social Security and Caixa Geral de Aposentação pensioners worth half a pension.
However, this measure did not cover bank employees with old-age pensions paid by the banks’ pension funds, which led to opposition from the trade unions.
The President of the Republic also today promulgated a Decree of the Assembly of the Republic providing for the resumption of reception measures and the establishment of programs to strengthen children and youth at risk, amending the Law on the Protection of Children and Youth in danger.
This decree was approved in parliament on April 14 in a general final vote, with votes for all parties except Chega, who abstained.
The memorandum between the government, the Portuguese Banking Association (APB) and the UGT bank unions, signed on February 24, foresees that the money will be advanced by the banks’ pension funds and then paid to them by the state.
State Secretary for Tax Affairs, Nuno Santos Félix, explained at the time that the surcharge would be financed from the general state budget and estimated that this measure would cost the state nearly 40 million euros.
“The difference here is that the payment is made by the pension funds, because they are the ones who have a direct financial relationship with these pensioners,” the state secretary explains.
As last year, additional support amounting to 50% of the pension will be granted to pensioners with a pension value of less than 12 social support indices (IAS), approximately EUR 5,300. The amount is taxed separately from the monthly pension in the IRS.
In the case of pensioners who received support of 125 euros, also granted by the government in October for employees with an income of up to 2,700 gross monthly euros, this amount will be deducted from the half-pension, the secretary of state said.
Source: DN
