OLD: Comprehensive Social Security Reform Act (See new thread: Reference Only)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Denial eventually will give way to acceptance.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

If there is no other business to come on this bill, I will be opening a final vote tomorrow.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm still waiting for Badger's response to my question, and/or for proposals as to how to modify the tax system from my fellow Senators. I've said and repeated I'm open for discussion to any idea, yet nothing has come. Don't blame me if there is no discussion going on.

For the record, here is how the bill currently reads :

Comprehensive Social Security Reform Act

1. Any statutory act (law, section or article) relative to Social Security in Atlasia, i.e. to the intervention of the Federal Government aimed to protect its citizens from social risks, prior to this Act is hereby repealed. Any previously established tax aimed to fund said activities is hereby abolished.
2. The National Social Security Agency (NSSA) is hereby established.
3. Any responsibility and authority in the domain of Social Security shall be vested in the NSSA. Said domains may be further specified by appropriate legislation.
4. The NSSA shall be under the responsibility of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Section 1: Administration

1. The NSSA shall be administered by a deliberative body called Superior Council.
2. The Superior Council of the NSSA shall be composed of 12 members, of which:   
    a) Four members shall be delegates of workers. They shall be democratically elected by every working or actively unemployed (see below) person. Labor Unions shall be responsible of organizing fair elections regularly.
    b) Four members shall be delegates of employers, designed by the organizations representing them.
    c) Four members shall be representatives of the Federal Government, designed by the Department of Internal Affairs.
3. The Superior Council of the NSSA shall elect a presiding officer, adopt an internal ruling, and decide the frequency and the duration of their sessions.
4. The NSSA shall be divided into five separate Administrations, called:   
    a) The Health Insurance Administration
    b) The Unemployment Insurance Administration
    c) The Parenthood Insurance Administration
    d) The Old Age Insurance Administration
    e) The Minor Insurances Administration
5. The institutions administering each of previously cited Administration shall be designed by the Superior Council of the NSSA through procedures specified by it.

Section 2: Budget

1. The NSSA shall have its proper budget, independent from the Federal budget.
2. The budget of the NSSA shall serve to ensure the proper functioning of the Agency and the fulfillment of the tasks devolved to it through proper legislation.
3. The budget of the NSSA shall be managed by the Superior Council provided that its administration respects subsection 2. The Department of Internal Affairs is in charge of ensuring the respect of subsection 2.
4. Each of the five Administrations of the NSSA shall have its proper budget, which shall be a part of the global NSSA budget.
5. The budget of an Administration of the NSSA shall serve exclusively to fulfill the Administration's social task, by ensuring the compensation of persons as specified by legislation. The budget of an Administration of the NSSA shall be financed through the contributions of people eligible to the insurance program each Administration is responsible of.
6. The budget of the NSSA shall also comprise its Functioning funds. Said funds shall serve to ensure the proper functioning of the NSSA, by paying for the necessary infrastructures and remunerating its employees. Said funds shall be managed by the Superior Council of the NSSA.
7. The Federal Government shall be responsible for providing the Functioning funds to the NSSA. The Department of Internal Affairs shall be able to decide the amount of those funds. The Functioning funds devolved to the NSSA shall be subject to a vote in the Senate.
8. If the budget of one or more of the five administrations of the NSSA present a surplus, such surplus shall be attributed to a Balanced Budget Fund managed by the Superior Council of the NSSA.
9. If the budget of one or more of the five administrations of the NSSA presents a deficit, the Balanced Budget Fund shall be used to fill such deficit.
10. If the Balanced Budget Fund isn't sufficient to ensure a balanced budget in every administration, the Federal Government shall lend to the NSSA the money necessary for that. In such case, the Balanced Budget Funds shall be used to reimburse such loan as soon as possible.

Section 3: Tasks

1. The role of the NSSA is to compensate the victims of the social risks specified by legislation, through mechanisms and for an amount specified by legislation.
2. The social risks recognized by Atlasia are: illness, unemployment, parenthood, old age, handicap, working incidents, death of the spouse or the parent, catastrophe and excessive debt.
3. Each of the five Administrations of the NSSA shall be responsible to cover one or more of previously specified social risks.

Section 4: Health Insurance

1. The Health Insurance Administration shall be responsible to compensate the victims of illness and make their cure as easy as possible.
2. Any household shall be mandatorily registered to the Health Insurance Administration.
3. Any household registered to the Health Insurance Administration shall pay a contribution amounting to 2% of its salary and 5% of its other incomes.
4. Contributions shall be received by the Health Insurance Administration, monthly for salaries and annually for other incomes.
5. Households whose income is subject to the first two brackets of the Income tax as defined by the Fiscal Responsibility Act shall be exonerated from paying said contribution.
6. The Health Insurance Administration shall reimburse any purchase of a duly prescribed necessary medicine and any medically necessary services realized by a member of a registered household.
7. The administration of the Health Insurance Administration shall be responsible to establish a list of necessary medicines, as well as a list of medically necessary services. The list of medically necessary services shall include all those mentioned on section 1, subsection (b) of the Atlasian National Healthcare Act.

Section 5: Unemployment Insurance

1. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall be responsible to compensate the victims of unemployment, to help them recovering a job and to ensure that recovering a job is economically beneficial to them.
2. Any employee or actively unemployed person shall be mandatorily registered to the Unemployment Insurance Administration.
3. To be deemed as "actively unemployed", a person shall meet the following requirements:   
    a) Not exercising any remunerated job.
    b) Actively researching a job, as defined under subsection 9.
    c) Being enrolled in or scheduled to be enrolled in a vocational education course or program as laid out in subsection 11.
4. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall receive contributions, amounting to 6% of a registered employee's salary. Such contributions shall be paid monthly, by half by concerned employee, and by half by the business employing it.
5. Any registered employee losing its job shall receive from the Unemployment Insurance Administration a monthly revenue amounting to :
    a) 90% of the individual's previous salary during the first year following the loss of its job
    b) 80% of the individual's previous salary during the second year following the loss of its job
    c) 70% of the individual's previous salary during the third year following the loss of its job
    d) 60% of the individual's previous salary during the fourth year following the loss of its job
    e) 50% of the individual's previous salary after four years of unemployment
6. Notwithstanding subsection 5, no registered unemployed individual shall receive less than $600 per month, neither more than $4000 per month.
7. Any actively unemployed individual registered to the Unemployment Insurance Administration who had never been previously employed shall receive from the Unemployment Insurance Administration monthly revenue of $600 per month.
8. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall provide registered unemployed individual with reasonable employment proposals. To be considered as reasonable, those proposals shall meet following requirements:   
    a) A salary equivalent to at least 90% of the individual's current revenue provided by the Unemployment Insurance Administration.
    b) A time necessary to reach workplace from the individual's home inferior to 1 hour. The Unemployment Insurance Administration shall be able to set inferior time limits on a local and case-by case basis.
    c) A domain corresponding to the individual's qualifications.
9. Any registered unemployed individual refusing three successive reasonable employment proposals shall be considered as inactive and deregistered from the Unemployment Insurance Administration.
10. Any registered individual previously unemployed recovering a job with net income inferior to 110% of the total benefits he received as an "actively unemployed" worker, as defined in Section 5, Clause 3, shall receive an allowance for the difference between his new employment's net income and 110% of total benefits last received as an "actively unemployed" worker.
11. For the purposes of this act, a vocational education course shall be defined as any course college or career training that seeks to improve one skills in their current occupation or train them for a new occupation entirely. Courses must be taught either online in connection with, or onsite of, an accredited university, community college, junior college, technical institute or other accredited institution offering continuing education courses.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Section 6: Parenthood Insurance

1. The Parenthood Insurance Administration shall be responsible to compensate the parents for the expenses necessary to raise one or more children.
2. Any household shall be mandatorily registered to the Parenthood Insurance Administration.
3. Any household registered to the Parenthood Insurance Administration shall pay a contribution equivalent to one twentieth of the amount of its income tax. Said contributions shall be paid concurrently with the income tax.
4. Any household composed by two or more adults shall receive from the Parenthood Insurance Administration a monthly allowance amounting to:   
    a) $200 per child aged between 0 and 3 years
    b) $250 per child aged between 3 and 8 years
    c) $300 per child aged between 8 and 18 years
5. Any household composed by one adult shall receive from the Parenthood Insurance Administration a monthly allowance amounting to:   
    a) $300 per child aged between 0 and 3 years
    b) $400 per child aged between 3 and 8 years
    c) $500 per child aged between 8 and 18 years
6. Notwithstanding subsections 4 and 5, no household whose income is subject to the sixth, seventh or eighth brackets of the Income tax as defined by the Fiscal Responsibility Act shall receive any allowance from the Parenthood Insurance Administration.
7. Any household whose income is subject to the third, fourth or fifth brackets of the Income tax as defined by the Fiscal Responsibility Act shall receive only half of the allowances established on subsections 4 and 5.

Section 7: Old Age Insurance

1. The Old Age Insurance Administration shall be responsible to guarantee elderly people decent standards of living.
2. Any adult shall be mandatorily registered to the Old Age Insurance Administration.
3. The Old Age Insurance Administration shall receive contributions, amounting to 10% of a registered employee's salary. Such contributions shall be paid monthly, by half by concerned employee, and by half by the business employing it.
4. Actively unemployed individuals registered to the Old Age Insurance Administration shall not pay any contribution.
5. Any household in which no individual is concerned by subsections 3 and 4 shall pay a contribution equivalent to one twentieth of its income tax. Said contributions shall be paid concurrently with the income tax.
6. Any person retiring shall receive a monthly old age pension from the Old Age Insurance Administration.
7. The full old age pension shall amount to 80% of the average salary during the 10 years in which an individual has earned the most as an employee, if this amount is superior to $1000. Otherwise, the full old age pension shall amount to $1000.
8. For the purpose of determining eligibility to retire and receive old age pensions from the Old Age Insurance Administration, a system based on points shall be used.
    a) One full month of work shall earn an individual three points.
    b) One full month of active unemployment shall earn an individual two points.
    c) One full month of studies or other training shall earn an individual one point.
9. Any individual having earned 1600 points shall have the right to retire and be entitled to a full old age pension.
10. Any individual having earned more than 1200 points shall have the right to retire and be entitled to an old age pension corresponding to a full old age pension multiplied by the number of points it has earned divided by 1600.
11. Notwithstanding sections 9 and 10, any person aged of more than 65 years shall be entitled to retire and receive an old age pension amounting to 75% of its full old age pension. Any person aged of more than 70 years shall be entitled to retire and receive a full old age pension.
12. Age limits mentioned on section 11 shall be lower for individuals having exercised particularly hard jobs. The administration of the Old Age Insurance Administration shall be responsible to establish a list of particularly hard jobs and the retirement ages corresponding to each. Those limits shall not be lower than 55 years old for a 75% pension and 60 years for a full pension.

Section 8: Minor Insurances

1. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to compensate the victims of social risks not covered by previously cited administrations. That is handicap, working incidents, death of the spouse or the parent, catastrophe and excessive debt.
2. Any household shall be mandatorily registered to the Minor Insurances Administration.
3.  Any household registered to the Minor Insurances Administration shall pay a contribution amounting to 2% of its salary and 5% of its other incomes.
4. Contributions shall be received by the Minor Insurances Administration, monthly for salaries an annually for other incomes.
5. Any adult officially deemed as handicapped by legitimate medical authorities who is not actively unemployed shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration a monthly allowance amounting to $600.
6. Any adult officially deemed as handicapped by legitimate medical authorities who is actively unemployed shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration a monthly allowance amounting to $300, which can be drawn concurrently with the allowance from the Unemployment Insurance Administration established in section 5.
7. Any household with one or more child officially deemed as handicapped by legitimate medical authorities shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration a monthly allowance amounting to $100 per child, which can be drawn concurrently with the allowance from the Parenthood Insurance Administration established in section 6.
8. Any individual suffering from invalidity, illness or any injury caused by his work shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration an indemnity proportional to the gravity of said injury. Said indemnity shall be comprised between $500 and $50,000. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to establish the appropriate levels of compensation relative to a specific injury.
9. Any household suffering from the death of an employed or actively unemployed member shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration an indemnity equivalent to the expected financial loss caused by said death. Said indemnity shall be comprised between $5000 and $1,000,000. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to estimate the amount of the financial loss caused by the death of the member of a household, based on their potential income and life expectancy.
10. Any household suffering from the consequence of a natural or man-caused catastrophe shall receive from the Minor Insurances Administration an indemnity equivalent to the expected financial loss caused by said catastrophe. Said indemnity shall be comprised between $1000 and $1,000,000. The Minor Insurances Administration shall be responsible to estimate the amount of the financial loss caused by the catastrophe based on the direct and indirect damages caused by the catastrophe on the household's property.
11. Any household in a situation of excessive debt may ask for an exemption from the Minor Insurances Administration. The Minor Insurances Administration shall examine said household's financial situation and determine whether the amount of the debt might represent a threat for the household's economic security. In such case, the Minor Insurances Administration shall provide such household a loan without interest permitting them to reimburse their debt.

Section 9: Limitation of the tax burden

1. In order to avoid an excessive raise of government taxes, it is the will of the legislator that the passage of this bill doesn't result in an augmentation of the total amount of money collected by the government and its agencies of more than 10%.
2. This goal shall in priority be pursued through the repeal of any legislation regarding Social Security prior to this bill, thus nullifying the taxes established under this legislation.
3. One year after the passage of this bill, an independent commission shall be nominated by the Department of Internal Affairs, in order to calculate the amount of money collected by the government and its agencies in the previous year and what it would have been without the passage of this bill. The conclusions of said commission shall be published by the Game Moderator.
4. If the commission determines that the raise in the tax burden due to the passage of this bill has exceeded 10%, the Senate shall implement legislation in order to reduce its amount so that the raise in the tax burden doesn't exceed 10%.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

it looks to me like the tax burden is going to be about 21% per person for this administration, not counting the extra tax for non-salary income.

health - 2%
unemployment - 6% (yes, it's only half that for the employee, but the employer rate is going to realistically come out of the salary)
parenthood - 1% (assuming an income tax of 20%)
old age - 10% (again, the half from the employer coming out of the salary)
minor insurance - 2%

I don't know what the current rates for insurance taxes are if you include both employer and employee taxes, but it seems clear to me that this bill will go way above it's total 10% tax revenue increase threshold.

I think I could come up with about another dozen amendments to this if I had the time.

[Antonio the Sixth]

That's more complicated that just an addition, your calculation doesn't really mean anything. I highly doubt my bill could even raise the imposition by more than 10% considering most of these welfare programs and the corresponding taxes already exist. Sure, there should be some additional costs due to the bill being more complete and developed than the preceding system, but that's not that important.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

That's more complicated that just an addition, your calculation doesn't really mean anything. I highly doubt my bill could even raise the imposition by more than 10% considering most of these welfare programs and the corresponding taxes already exist. Sure, there should be some additional costs due to the bill being more complete and developed than the preceding system, but that's not that important.

could you provide any details on this?

[Antonio the Sixth]

No, sorry. I know Atlasia has a health insurance, which passed when I was a newbie. For other things, I don't know the details, but in the worst case we still have the RL American welfare programs (I'm quite sure there's more in Atlasia, but try to find it out... ).

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

it looks to me like the tax burden is going to be about 21% per person for this administration, not counting the extra tax for non-salary income.

health - 2%
unemployment - 6% (yes, it's only half that for the employee, but the employer rate is going to realistically come out of the salary)
parenthood - 1% (assuming an income tax of 20%)
old age - 10% (again, the half from the employer coming out of the salary)
minor insurance - 2%

I don't know what the current rates for insurance taxes are if you include both employer and employee taxes, but it seems clear to me that this bill will go way above it's total 10% tax revenue increase threshold.

I think I could come up with about another dozen amendments to this if I had the time.

How much time? People this vagueness is killing me. We have been waiting for days at time for singular reponses to one question. That has been the story since January. Since March this bill has been pissing me off more and more as time go on, precisely because of this. If people don't respond within a period of time (set by you), PM the SOB. If they then fail to do so, start thrashing them publically for being lazy. Our enemy on these things is delay after delay. We need to "punish our enemies", because if we don't this will never get done.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

That's more complicated that just an addition, your calculation doesn't really mean anything. I highly doubt my bill could even raise the imposition by more than 10% considering most of these welfare programs and the corresponding taxes already exist. Sure, there should be some additional costs due to the bill being more complete and developed than the preceding system, but that's not that important.

This kind of attitude makes me ill.  

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

it looks to me like the tax burden is going to be about 21% per person for this administration, not counting the extra tax for non-salary income.

health - 2%
unemployment - 6% (yes, it's only half that for the employee, but the employer rate is going to realistically come out of the salary)
parenthood - 1% (assuming an income tax of 20%)
old age - 10% (again, the half from the employer coming out of the salary)
minor insurance - 2%

I don't know what the current rates for insurance taxes are if you include both employer and employee taxes, but it seems clear to me that this bill will go way above it's total 10% tax revenue increase threshold.

I think I could come up with about another dozen amendments to this if I had the time.

How much time? People this vagueness is killing me. We have been waiting for days at time for singular reponses to one question. That has been the story since January. Since March this bill has been pissing me off more and more as time go on, precisely because of this. If people don't respond within a period of time (set by you), PM the SOB. If they then fail to do so, start thrashing them publically for being lazy. Our enemy on these things is delay after delay. We need to "punish our enemies", because if we don't this will never get done.

sorry, I meant basically that there were still so many potential issues with this bill I could go on coming up with amendments for a very long time. I'll limit myself to two though - one regarding the parenthood section and one for changing the funding. I can put them together tonight and tomorrow.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

here is an amendment to lessen problematic (dis)incentives

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[Antonio the Sixth]

I'm fine with this Amendment.

[Antonio the Sixth]

That's more complicated that just an addition, your calculation doesn't really mean anything. I highly doubt my bill could even raise the imposition by more than 10% considering most of these welfare programs and the corresponding taxes already exist. Sure, there should be some additional costs due to the bill being more complete and developed than the preceding system, but that's not that important.

This kind of attitude makes me ill.  

You want me to say my bill sucks ?

[tmthforu94]

I would personally advise changing Section 7 to "Elderly Insurance", a less-offensive term. Would also edit (4) of Section 1.

Just a thought.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I would personally advise changing Section 7 to "Elderly Insurance", a less-offensive term. Would also edit (4) of Section 1.

Just a thought.

you think this will make people feel better about paying higher taxes?

[Antonio the Sixth]

I would personally advise changing Section 7 to "Elderly Insurance", a less-offensive term. Would also edit (4) of Section 1.

Just a thought.

Ok, no problem. I didn't know the terminology used in English-speaking coutries so I put what I thought was the most appropriate.

So I'd amend my bill replacing every "old age insurance" with "elderly insurance".

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Alas, where's Serjeant-at-Arms, when he's needed?

[Badger]

Could a mod please delete these juvenile posts and ban the jackass forthwith.

@ Antonio: Sorry little buddy. Will try to answer question over weekend.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Thank you.

And yes, the idiot should be erased from the forum as soon as Nym logs in.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Alas, where's Serjeant-at-Arms, when he's needed?

I laid him off to save money.



I'll get the Winchester I mentioned yesterday. See if I can manage to load it.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

here is the current rates for taxes for Social Security. I think this might be kept as the funding for the Old Age Elderly Insurance, so as to keep taxes from rising so much for those making less than 20K.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

That has merits certainly to be discussed.

[Antonio the Sixth]

here is the current rates for taxes for Social Security. I think this might be kept as the funding for the Old Age Elderly Insurance, so as to keep taxes from rising so much for those making less than 20K.

That sounds right, yes. Of course I can't oppose a progressive taxation replacing a flat tax.

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What about this ?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

yes, I think that will do.