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Pensions are finished, leading researcher says
Pensions as we know them are "finished" and will become part of a new combined savings vehicle with ISAs, a leading policy researcher said this morning.
Michael Johnson, a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies, explained how he envisaged ISAs and pensions coming together.
He made his remarks at an event hosted by Dentons Pensions this morning.
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Speaking at the Institute of Directors in London, Mr Johnson, who has worked with the Government and leading providers to examine the future of pensions, said that the evidence suggests this will be the way forward for pensions.
He said: "I think pensions are finished. You are of course entitled to fundamentally disagree with me. ISAs and pensions increasingly interchangeable in their effect.
"We've had some very strong clues as to the potential direction of travel from one party about the retirement savings arena."
He pointed to a recent Treasury Select Committee report, which he said provided "strong clues as to the potential direction of travel – the consolidation of ISAs and pensions and the end of the tax free lump sum."
He also cited comments from the committee's chairman Andrew Tyrie about a single savings vehicle.
He said: "This is not ambiguous, this is the end of pensions and not long before he said this I published a paper called the lifetime ISA.
"Some of you will find it uncomfortable but I think it's a credible direction of travel."
It is worth considering raising the limit for pensions and ISAs to an overall combined £30,000 per year, he said.
He said those aged 33 and below are totally unengaged with pensions and this was a large problem.
He added that it was "beyond me" why there are different types of ISA – cash and stocks and shares. He thinks there should just be one.
Mr Johnson also said that the Budget reforms to retirement had "opened up enormous blue water" between political parties.
He dismissed the usefulness of Pension Wise. When he asked the 60 or so members of the audience whether they thought it would really be useful nobody in the room raised their hands in agreement.
He said: "People want advice, not guidance in some nebulous concept. They are not going to get it from Pension Wise."
He added that the tax-free lump sum's days are "very limited".