让养老更有“底”，让消费更有“力”——完善基本养老保险的四个建议

Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the need to improve China's basic pension insurance system to better meet the expectations of residents and enhance consumption capacity, addressing issues such as low benefit levels, regional disparities, and sustainability concerns [4]. Summary by Sections Current Status of Basic Pension Insurance System - China has established a three-pillar pension system over 70 years, with the basic pension insurance as the foundation, supplemented by enterprise annuities and personal savings [6]. - As of the end of 2024, the coverage of basic pension insurance has reached 1.07 billion people, with a participation rate of 95%, achieving the "14th Five-Year Plan" target ahead of schedule [6]. - The basic pension benefits have been increasing, with urban employee pensions experiencing "twenty consecutive increases" and rural residents' basic pensions growing by 1.6 times over the past decade [7]. Issues Facing the Basic Pension Insurance System - Insufficient Benefit Levels: The average monthly pension for urban residents is only 246 yuan, below the rural minimum living standard of 594 yuan [13]. The pension replacement rate for urban employees has decreased to 52%, down 8.7 percentage points since 2018, falling below the International Labour Organization's recommended minimum of 55% [15]. - Inequality in Benefits: There are significant disparities in pension benefits among different groups, with urban residents receiving an average of 223 yuan, while enterprise retirees receive 3,271 yuan, and civil servants receive 6,243 yuan [16]. The fiscal subsidies also vary greatly, with urban employees receiving much higher per capita subsidies compared to rural residents [17]. - Sustainability Concerns: The pension system heavily relies on fiscal subsidies, with the subsidy amount increasing from 1.2 trillion yuan in 2018 to 1.8 trillion yuan in 2023, accounting for 25.7% of total pension expenditures [23]. The actual contribution rate is low, with the average monthly social security contribution being 1,175 yuan, leading to a significant gap between nominal and actual rates [26]. Recommendations for Improvement - Enhancing Pension Benefits: Propose a "State-Owned Capital-Finance-Social Security" linkage reform to increase the pension benefits for rural residents to at least the rural minimum living standard, which could require an additional 800 billion yuan annually [33]. - Equalizing Fiscal Subsidies: Suggest gradually reducing the disparity in fiscal subsidies across different groups to ensure a more equitable distribution of pension benefits [34]. - Stabilizing Contribution Base: Recommend lowering nominal contribution rates while ensuring compliance with actual contribution levels to enhance the sustainability of the pension system [35]. - Accelerating National Coordination: Emphasize the need for a national coordination system for pension insurance to address the challenges posed by population mobility and to balance the responsibilities between central and local governments [30][31].