Many Dutch pensioners unable to make ends meet

Nearly 40 percent of Dutch pensioners are struggling to get by on their retirement income, according to a survey done by interest association ANBO among 9 thousand retirees, RTL Nieuws reports.

"These are very worrying figures", according to Liane den Haan, managing director of ANBO. "The financial strain is tough on particularly the group of pensioners with a middle-income and people with high health care costs."

According to ANBO, elderly people's purchasing power has been under pressure for 8 years, due to cuts to pensions or non-indexation. And this while elderly people face high healthcare costs.

A massive 65 percent of pensioners think that their problems can be solved by reducing the income tax on pensions, 40 percent think that adapting the rules for pension funds could help, and 40 percent think that the solution lies in increasing the state pension.