Maximum unemployment benefit in Spain

It’s worth noting that our kind, caring, socialist PSOE government quietly changed the unemployment benefit (el paro) rules during last year to mean that:

You cannot draw unemployment for more that 24 months, maximum;
and the minimum monthly payment is 482,22€ (645,26€ is you have kids), the maximum €1055,33 (1206,10€ with one kid, 1356,86€ with two kids).

Note the maximum. Doesn’t matter how long you’ve paid into the system, or how much, you can not withdraw more than 1356,86€ (if you have 2 kids) over a period of longer than 24 months. In my case, the maximum I would get is 25327.92€. Let’s see…. I calculate I’ve paid at least €70,000 in over the last 10 years. Without taking into account additional company taxes paid on my behalf. And only been in hospital (outpatients) three times since then (sprained ankle, inflamed cornea, allergic reaction to wasp sting – hardly expensive operations and certainly never on baja! Anyway, I have full private health insurance). And have no kids, and even if I did would send them to private school. Any private training I’ve paid for myself.

Which frankly means that I’ve been ripped off bigtime, as I’ve been paying considerable amounts into the system over the last 10 years. Should I ever have occassion to carry out a major tax scam, I shall simply feel that I’m taking back what’s mine. Honestly, I’d get a better rate of return investing in ole Bernie Madoff (with my savings), and shall seriously think about going back to Asia fora year, bumming around and living off the paro.