Czech think‑tank Solvo proposes pension at 72, higher taxes for childless

The Solvo institute presented a long‑term plan to address the Czech Republic’s demographic decline. It calls for raising the statutory retirement age to 72, with the limit shifting gradually by three months each year. Childless workers would face higher social‑insurance contributions and lose eligibility for early retirement. Families would receive stronger support, including a cash benefit of 400,000 CZK per child in the first two years, tax exemptions for households with three or more children, and the possibility for grandparents to take parental leave. The proposal also suggests reforms to education – extending compulsory preschool to cover the last two years of kindergarten and shortening primary school to eight years – to encourage earlier entry into the labour market. Solvo estimates that without reforms the ratio of seniors to working‑age people would reach 63 to 100 by 2070, but with the plan it could be reduced to 29 to 100, and the pension system would become financially sustainable from 2046 onward. A promotional line reads, “When you see a mother with a stroller on the street, you’ll wave at her; children will become a rarity.”