He also vehemently criticized plans by the government to tax pensions and life insurances. Lafontaine pointed out the contradiction to the government's plans to encourage private pension plans. Leader of the SPD Bundestag faction Rudolf Scharping also criticized plans by the government to tax pensions. Talking to journalists he said the SPD would not allow that the federal budget is repaired by taking from seniors. Mr. Storm, CDU member of parliament, suggested that in future public pensions should increase more slowly.
Storm is member of the government's pension committee.
In an interview Storm stated the existing coupling of public old-age pensions to the general increase of net incomes must be corrected. According to the present rule, pensions would be increased by 1.7 percent in July. Storm said it may be possible to limit the increase to 1.3 percent. Such a reduction would mean that pensioners were paid about 63 percent of their last net income after 45 years of pension contributions instead of 70 percent. In the trial of tennis star Steffi Graf's father Peter Graf the Prosecution has made its final arguments.