Fatih Altaylı reacts to Murat Kurum's pension promise: 'Will Kurum provide what Erdoğan cannot...?'

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who declared 2024 the Year of Retirees, admitted in a speech in Kütahya that the lowest pension is insufficient.

"Even if we didn't drive a single nail in our country throughout 2024 and transferred the entire investment budget here, it would not be enough to cover this expense," said Erdoğan, adding, "We are also aware of the injustice caused by flat-rate increases in pension salaries. Those who do not carry the burden of responsibility can, of course, make empty promises."

These remarks by Erdoğan brought to mind the promise of additional pension payments made by Murat Kurum, the People's Alliance candidate for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor.

Kurum had stated that they would provide a support payment of 2,500 liras every month to the Istanbul cards of retirees in need, especially female retirees, in Istanbul.

Commenting on Erdoğan's statements regarding pensions, Fatih Altaylı asked, "Will Kurum provide what Erdoğan cannot!"

Fatih Altaylı wrote the following in his column:

"Istanbul is the city with the highest number of retirees in Turkey.

A total of 2 million 700 thousand retirees live in this city, which is the heart of Turkey.

The annual cost of giving 2,500 TL per month to each of them is close to 110 billion TL, including taxes.

In contrast, the total 2024 budget of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality is 213 billion TL.

In other words, if Murat Kurum is elected, he is saying he will distribute more than half of the IMM budget to the 2.7 million retirees living in Istanbul.

He claims he will carry out municipal services and pay the salaries of current municipal employees with the remaining money.

Murat Kurum claims he can do what the President, who has the authority to print money and controls the central budget, says he 'cannot do,' and gives his word on it.

Just as he promised hundreds of thousands of houses that have still not had their foundations laid and have not been delivered to their rightful owners."

News Source: 12punto