The plan to raise the retirement age to 63 for the Collective Retirement Allowance Scheme (RCAR) is still on the government’s table.
Postponed in July by the El Otmani team without further explanation, it should not be long in coming. Indeed, the government of Aziz Akhannouch intends to continue the parametric reform of the RCAR regime, as was the case for that of the Moroccan Pension Fund (CMR).
A document prepared by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, including responses to the observations and questions formulated by the Councilors during the discussion of the draft finance law before the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Committee at the 2nd Chamber, underlines that this year was marked by the start of the parametric reform of the pension system, to allow, as a first step, to improve its sustainability, in order to allow it to meet its future financial obligations. and absorb part of the large public sector debt.
This first phase, adds the document, will be followed by that of the gradual increase in the retirement age of the employees concerned by the RCAR, to align it with the system currently in force concerning civil pensions, ie 63 years.
For the MEF, this measure, contained in the recommendations of the Supreme Court of Auditors in its 2017 report, will allow greater harmonization of the operating methods of public pension schemes, which will pave the way for the transition to a public pole.
It should be noted that the postponement of July was the result of pressure from the central trade unions which rose up against the reform project as proposed.
The outgoing government had, in fact, agreed to the central trade unions to include the pension issue in the social dialogue, in accordance with the tripartite agreement signed on April 25, 2019.
When adopted, this reform will affect more than half a million Moroccans affiliated to RCAR.
In the same vein, the director general of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), Hassan Boubrik affirmed that the scheme of the Private Sector Employees Fund requires a “parametric” reform, in order to ensure a better balance. technical.
The civil pensions system no longer produces a deficit thanks in particular to the parametric reform of 2016 which increased the retirement age from 60 to 63 years, lowered the annuity rate from 2.5% to 2% and increased the contribution from 20% to 28%, that is to say “heavy” decisions but which made it possible to “stop the bleeding”, he said.
Boubrik, who was speaking within the framework of the 14th edition of the International Colloquium on Public Finances (CIFP), noted that with regard to the financing of retirement and social protection, “there is no another miracle than that of extending the period of high activity and delaying the retirement age ”.
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