And even under normal circumstances, many public sector workers retire on pensions higher than their final salary.
Increased spending on pensions is just, necessary and possible, says the conservative Mr Rajoy.
Mr Faymann also walked away from a coalition deal on reining in spending on pensions.
Closing international organisations down is more difficult, involving fiddly decisions on pensions and redundancies.
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They are not funds which could be spent on pensions or schools or hospitals.
Much of the federal budget goes to lower tiers of government or on pensions.
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More is needed on pensions, housing and the labour market to make the economy competitive again.
On pensions, the solution is clear if unpopular: people will need to work longer.
Money is spent on pensions rather than building the roads and ports that would make it richer.
But Mr Brown has mainly used a more circuitous method of financing redistribution: taxes on pensions and business.
Where she succeeded--as she did on pensions--she allowed the president to take credit.
But most of this is protected by manifesto pledges on pensions which the government would be rash to break.
Moreover, stakeholder pensions should not be considered in isolation from the government's other policies on pensions, savings and taxation.
Many have retired in their mid-40s, on pensions higher than their last salary.
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Mr Pickering's findings will be considered by the government before it produces yet another consultation paper on pensions this autumn.
Spending on pensions for private-sector workers in the formal economy has tripled as a share of Brazil's GDP since 1988.
But it also says, foolishly, that it will roll back reforms on pensions, dismissal of workers, sick pay and casual labour.
On pensions, however, even the status quo is going to bankrupt us.
They worry, and rightly so, that America faces budgetary meltdown, as its ageing population places unbearable strains on pensions and health-care systems.
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For example, the richest 10% of Brazilians receive almost half of public money spent on pensions, whereas the poorest 10% get just 0.5%.
To make matters worse, around two-thirds of federal spending goes on pensions or other non-discretionary items, points out Mr Velloso (see chart 2).
Since teachers retire on full pay after 25 years for women and 30 for men, up to half of schools' budgets go on pensions.
Labour said the current 50% limit on tax relief on pensions for the highest earners should be brought into line with the 20% level for basic rate taxpayers.
Low earners would be given tax breaks to help them save, eventually reducing public spending on pensions and muting the disincentive effects of means tests.
This will push up public spending on pensions and health care.
Given its success on pensions, the government is planning to push ahead with more privatisation and reforms to the health-care and education systems and public services.
The result is that Brazil spends as high a proportion of its GDP on pensions (12%) as Britain does, even though the population is much younger.
But when Mr Haider blasted the government from his Carinthian redoubt and called for a referendum on pensions, Mr Haupt followed suit and disavowed his own work.
For example, on pensions, a government determined to encourage savings would set its face against increasing the means-tested top-ups for people with no savings of their own.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost ground in the elections for the upper house this summer, partly by forcing through benefit cuts and higher premiums on pensions.
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