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Tobias Hentze IW-Report No. 3 4. February 2020 Statement on the Public Hearing in the Finance Committee of the German Bundestag: Double Taxation of Statutory Pensions

The move to a subsequent taxation of statutory pensions will be completed in 2040 according to current tax law. By then, the taxable portion of the statutory pension will increase to 100 percent for new pensioners, while the tax deductibility of the pension contributions will increase to 100 percent by 2025.

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Double Taxation of Statutory Pensions
Tobias Hentze IW-Report No. 3 4. February 2020

Statement on the Public Hearing in the Finance Committee of the German Bundestag: Double Taxation of Statutory Pensions

IW-Report

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

The move to a subsequent taxation of statutory pensions will be completed in 2040 according to current tax law. By then, the taxable portion of the statutory pension will increase to 100 percent for new pensioners, while the tax deductibility of the pension contributions will increase to 100 percent by 2025.

According to the requirements of the Federal Constitutional Court, there must be no double taxation of statutory pensions as part of the system change. Double taxation occurs if pension payments, which were financed by taxed pension contributions, are taxed again in the payment phase.

A comparison of the pension contributions paid from taxed income with the pension-free amount for typified employees shows that, starting with the current retirement years, there is double taxation of pensions over around 40 years. The legislator could minimize the cases of double taxation by slowing the increase in the taxable portion of the pension from 1 percentage point to 0.5 percentage points per year and, at the same time, allowing immediate, full deductibility of the pension contributions. This would not interrupt the adjustment process, but would reduce double taxation and even largely avoid it from 2030.

However, such a move would lead to tax losses from the state's perspective. Therefore, the legislator might compensate for this shortfall, for example by increasing other taxes.

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Double Taxation of Statutory Pensions
Tobias Hentze IW-Report No. 3 4. February 2020

Tobias Hentze: Doppelbesteuerung der gesetzlichen Renten – Stellungnahme zur Öffentlichen Anhörung im Finanzausschuss des Deutschen Bundestages

IW-Report

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

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The Importance of Awareness of the Old-age Pension System for Retirement Planning in Germany
Ruth Maria Schüler IW-Trends No. 2 30. June 2023

The Importance of Awareness of the Old-age Pension System for Retirement Planning in Germany

People in Germany have a relatively accurate knowledge of the main details of the German pension system.

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Ruth Schüler IW-Trends No. 1 13. April 2023

How Couples Retire in Germany

For the statutory pension scheme to be financed sustainably on its current pay-as-you-go basis, as many people as possible need to stay at work until the standard retirement age.

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