Four bills that propose a seventh withdrawal of the individual funds of the AFPs keep in suspense to thousands of contributors. The legislative initiatives that have generated the most attention are those that propose a disbursement of up to 4 UIT (S/19,800) and 70% funds, the latter recently presented by the Perú Libre bench. In what situation are both proposals and what steps are missing for at least one of these to be approved? We tell you here.
Faced with this panorama, different fronts have spoken in favor of and against the initiatives. They are from those who defend the possibility of a new retirement to mitigate the impact of prices and “mitigate the current economic crisis”even of those who consider that it is about populist measures that will hinder any kind of reform of the pension system. One of those who think so is the Economy Minister himself, Alex Contreras, who a few days ago urged the Parliament to suspend all types of projects that authorize the return of individual funds.
“The withdrawal was understood in a context of pandemic, when people could not work. This is a different context. The more withdrawals there are, the size of the pension funds will continue to decrease. This is going to have costs in the long term, it will affect the reform. That this decision be postponed, that we have this reform of the pension system and that we work on structural policies that do help the well-being of the citizen,” said the head of the MEF.
AFP Retirement 2023: what is missing to be approved?
AFP affiliates They should know that there is a regular procedure so that at least one of the projects presented in Congress has the green light. In this case, the requests that propose a withdrawal of up to S/19,800 and 70% of funds require, first of all, to be discussed and then approved in the Economy Commission. In addition, these initiatives should be analyzed by the Work Commissionwhose management group could still make some adjustments to the legislative proposal.
PL proposing a withdrawal of up to S/19,800 was presented on February 8. Photo: Capture of Congress
The project of legislator Digna Calle, which raises an AFP withdrawal of up to 4 UITwas presented on February 8, 2023 and, after a month, it is still stuck in the Economic Commission.
According to the PL, close to 9 million members of the AFP would be benefited before a seventh withdrawal of funds, if it is discussed and approved in Congress.
A similar situation occurs with the initiative that proposes a return of up to 70% of funds proposed on March 3 by the legislator of Peru Libre Américo Gonza. This entered commission on March 6. According to the document, the profitability of the AFPs has been negative in recent years, which does not guarantee that affiliates have a decent pension.
AFP withdrawal 2023: projects will go to pension reform group
In the last session of the Economic Commission held on March 1, congressmen José Luna and Segundo Montalvo intervened to request, as a matter of priority, that projects on AFP disbursements be ruled on as soon as possible.
Barbarán maintained that the PL on AFP withdrawals will be sent to a working group that promotes pension reform. Photo: composition LR
Following this request, the president of the working group, Rosángella Barbarán, maintained that The subject, being delicate, must be analyzed by the technical entities so that they issue their opinion about the submitted projects. In the midst of the debate, the legislator Jorge Montoyain charge of the commission to propose a comprehensive pension reform, urged his colleagues to focus it on promoting “a true reform” and not just discussing isolated projects.
“I would ask you, Madam President, that everything that arrives on pensions be referred to the reform working group, to have it as an input and to be able to continue with the work, if not, everything we are doing is in vain and all the effort made up to now will be lost,” Montoya said.
The project that proposes a withdrawal of up to 70% of funds was proposed by legislator Américo Gonza. Photo: Capture of Congress
In response, Barbarán agreed to the request of the congressman for popular renewal and indicated that all pension PLs will be sent to the pension system reform group to be worked on technically.
“Equally, all the projects in this regard are being sent to him, as we have done before. We appreciate the work you have been doing and we urge congressmen to actively participate in the meetings that are being called by your reform group”, he stated.
If the ruling commissions have the green light, the initiatives that authorize the return of up to S/19,800 or 70% of the funds would only go to the plenary session of the Congress for their respective discussion and approval. In this way, legislators will have the last word through their vote. If the approval is given, it remains in the hands of the Executive for its respective observation or promulgation in the official newspaper El Peruano.
Source: Larepublica
Alia is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 news agency. She writes on various topics from economy news to general interest pieces, providing readers with relevant and informative content. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
