New era for retiree holiday bonuses: Priority to be given to those in need
Amid economic hardships, the decision not to increase retiree holiday bonuses to reduce the budget burden has sparked debate. For future years, work is underway to provide bonuses only to retirees with low income levels.
12punto
Retiree bonuses, which have been paid during Ramadan and Eid al-Adha since 2018, will be deposited into accounts this year without any increase.
While there had been expectations for some time that the bonuses would be raised to the 5,000 TL level, it was stated that the economic management rejected the raise initiative on the grounds that it would create an extra financial burden on the budget. Thus, in 2026, retirees will continue to receive a total of 8,000 TL in bonuses for both holidays.
The failure to implement the expected increase has caused disappointment among millions of retirees. According to information obtained, the new model, which is being discussed more and more, focuses on providing the retiree holiday bonus only to those who are truly in need, rather than giving it equally to everyone.
THE EYT DEADLOCK
The fact that the number of retirees has exceeded 17 million recently with the EYT (Retirement at Age of Entitlement) regulation means that even a small raise brings a multi-billion lira additional burden to the budget. For this reason, different options regarding the distribution of retiree bonuses are on the table within the government.
In discussions reflected in party corridors, it is emphasized that it is not fair for some retired members of parliament or owners of large companies who receive high salaries to benefit from the same amount of bonus as citizens who live on low pensions. AKP sources want bonuses to be determined according to income level in the coming years and for budget resources to be transferred more to those in need at the base.
Accordingly, the view that the current practice violates the principle of "equal opportunity" and is contrary to the concept of a social state is coming to the fore. In the new system, the details of which have not yet been clarified but are being worked on, it will be on the agenda to provide holiday bonuses only to low-income individuals in the coming years.