The Parliament today concluded the debate on the Proposal for Amendments to the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance, which, according to the proponent, represents a responsible and necessary response of the state to changes in the overall economic and legal system of Montenegro.
Explaining the proposed changes in the Parliament, the Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography, Damir Gutić, said that with this law, the state is showing that the pension and disability insurance system is not closed and rigid, but capable of following modern trends in work, entrepreneurship and the market.
"By introducing the institute of supplementary entrepreneurial activity into the Law on Business Companies, the state has clearly sent a message that it wants to encourage work, additional initiative and legal forms of income generation. Our obligation was to ensure that new forms of work are integrated into the system, and not left outside it. This is exactly what this law does," explained Gutić.
According to him, the goal of these changes is not to increase taxes or create an additional burden on citizens.
"The goal is order, clarity and legal certainty. A clear demarcation of the basis for calculating contributions, with a limit to the annual base amount, means a fairer system, i.e. a system in which it is known who, when and on what basis pays contributions without legal uncertainty and without room for different interpretations," said Gutić.
He said that this law also has a clear social message - the state will not turn a blind eye to workers engaged in permanent seasonal jobs.
"By enabling extended insurance after the expiration of the employment contract, we are sending a clear message that continuity of service and social security must not depend on formal breaks in employment," said Gutić.
He added that this law does not threaten fiscal stability, nor does it create new costs for the Montenegrin budget.
"On the contrary, we are strengthening the contribution system, improving tax discipline and protecting the sustainability of the pension fund in the long term," Gutić said.
This, he claims, is a policy of responsibility towards current and future pensioners.
"This law is not a law of grand political slogans, but a law of systemic solutions. It demonstrates the state's ability to plan ahead, to harmonize regulations, and at the same time to take care of workers, entrepreneurs, and the stability of public finances," Gutić concluded.
Bonus video:
