Independent workers wishing to sort out a payment plan for their social security debts may soon be able to pay in stages over 150 months.
The Minister of Employment and Social Security today announced that the Government is working on measures to extend the maximum repayment period for those wanting to pay in stages to 150 months - 12.5 years.
Mota Soares said that in 2013 the Social Security department recovered over €1 billion owed by hitherto recalcitrant debtors with most eventually opting for staged payments in a system that that already has been extended to allow payments over a maximum of 120 months.
This has been welcomed by all independent worker associations and represents a sensible, grown-up stance by the government who now see that debt repayment in smaller amounts over a long period will enable many to stay trading, rather than filing for insolvency and deftly avoiding their payments to the state by switching to the parallel cash economy or simply leaving the country.
