Thursday, 14 March 2013 09:49
Budget 2013: Barnett Waddingham unveils pension proposals
Barnett Waddingham has unveiled its own 10-point Pension Plan for individuals and employers ahead of the Budget on 20 March.
The plan highlights the step that can be taken to encourage consumers to save into a pension and to reduce bureaucracy for employers.
Proposals by the firm include tax-free interest on pensioners' savings, no further review of annual and lifetime allowances until 2020 and removal of the transfer ban and contribution limit on auto-enrolment.
Malcolm McLean, consultant at Barnett Waddingham, said: "In the past the pension's portfolio was a pass-the-parcel ministry with frequent changes and a lack of certainty around policy as a result. Since the Coalition came to power we've had a welcome period of stability with the appointment of Steve Webb.
"There are some very sensible measures that have been introduced such as auto-enrolment and the single-tier State Pension. These have been welcomed by the industry but there's still more that can be done."
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The ten points are:
Enabling individuals
1. Allow interest on savings to be paid tax-free (up to a limit) to individuals after state pension age
2. Pensioners to be allowed to build up any extra qualifying years needed for state pension purposes from earnings after state pension age
3. Confirm no further review of pension Annual and Lifetime Allowances for the duration of this and the next Parliament (i.e. until 2020 at the earliest)
4. Continue to permit contributions into a tax-approved pension plans to attract relief at the contributor's highest personal tax rate and for a tax-free payment to be made as a Pension Commencement Lump Sum
5. Remove the transfer ban and contribution limit from NEST at an early stage
6. Further simplify the new single-tier state pension by "buying-out" any excess over the £144 per week flat rate
7. As an alternative to means-testing, consider consolidating the value of the current universal Winter Fuel Payment, Free Bus Travel and Free TV Licences within the state pension
Enabling employers
8. Provide extra tax relief to employers with defined benefit pension schemes who face increased national insurance (NI) costs from the abolition of contracting-out
9. Prepare to remove all regulatory restrictions on risk sharing arrangements in occupational pension schemes to facilitate the introduction and development of new "Defined Ambition" type schemes
10. Confirmation of a longer term plan for the full merger of NI with tax
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The plan highlights the step that can be taken to encourage consumers to save into a pension and to reduce bureaucracy for employers.
Proposals by the firm include tax-free interest on pensioners' savings, no further review of annual and lifetime allowances until 2020 and removal of the transfer ban and contribution limit on auto-enrolment.
Malcolm McLean, consultant at Barnett Waddingham, said: "In the past the pension's portfolio was a pass-the-parcel ministry with frequent changes and a lack of certainty around policy as a result. Since the Coalition came to power we've had a welcome period of stability with the appointment of Steve Webb.
"There are some very sensible measures that have been introduced such as auto-enrolment and the single-tier State Pension. These have been welcomed by the industry but there's still more that can be done."
{desktop}{/desktop}{mobile}{/mobile}
The ten points are:
Enabling individuals
1. Allow interest on savings to be paid tax-free (up to a limit) to individuals after state pension age
2. Pensioners to be allowed to build up any extra qualifying years needed for state pension purposes from earnings after state pension age
3. Confirm no further review of pension Annual and Lifetime Allowances for the duration of this and the next Parliament (i.e. until 2020 at the earliest)
4. Continue to permit contributions into a tax-approved pension plans to attract relief at the contributor's highest personal tax rate and for a tax-free payment to be made as a Pension Commencement Lump Sum
5. Remove the transfer ban and contribution limit from NEST at an early stage
6. Further simplify the new single-tier state pension by "buying-out" any excess over the £144 per week flat rate
7. As an alternative to means-testing, consider consolidating the value of the current universal Winter Fuel Payment, Free Bus Travel and Free TV Licences within the state pension
Enabling employers
8. Provide extra tax relief to employers with defined benefit pension schemes who face increased national insurance (NI) costs from the abolition of contracting-out
9. Prepare to remove all regulatory restrictions on risk sharing arrangements in occupational pension schemes to facilitate the introduction and development of new "Defined Ambition" type schemes
10. Confirmation of a longer term plan for the full merger of NI with tax
• Want to receive a free weekly summary of the best news stories from our website? Just go to home page and submit your name and email address. If you are already logged in you will need to log out to see the e-newsletter sign up. You can then log in again.
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