Andy Harris: We must boost population numbers for economic reasons as well!
Szerző:csalad.hu, fotó: Förster Tamás2019. 09. 06.Támogatások, kedvezmények
The Congressman from the US explained at the 3rd Budapest Demographic Summit that when it comes to aging, the US is no different from Europe. By 2060 the number of people aged above 65 will double, representing 22% of the population as opposed to 16% today.
Andy Harris also highlighted that life expectancy was on the rise in his country, meaning that by 2030 2.5 workers will be needed to pay for 1 pensioner.
– Life expectancy has increased to 79.3 years while the reproduction ratio dropped from the previous value of 2.1 to 1.72 – added the Congressman.
A few years ago, social security spending reached 462 billion USD, rising to 731 billion USD by last year.
– This will soon become unsustainable! Looking at it from an economic aspect, population must be boosted at the bottom of the social pyramid, which can only be achieved through childbirth. We have also introduced tax measures for adoptive families, to encourage couples to have more children. Mothers who stay at home with their children also receive a tax break. In the US, 70% of children are born to unmarried mothers. The issue with this is that children born out of wedlock have worse health and educational indicators, and they are more predisposed to turning into young offenders.
Finally, Andy Harris stated: When it comes to decision-making we must always ask the question whether the decision strengthens or weakens families.
(photo: Förster Tamás)