pensions

MILLIONS OF MIDDLE-INCOME earners will be hit by a new stealth tax hidden in the Government's pension reforms which will be unveiled tomorrow, says The Daily Telegraph .

The bulk annuities market is to gain two new entrants as AIG has announced it will be joining the UK arena, following closely on the heels of Aegon's confirmation yesterday.

The white paper on pensions reform due for publication later this week will include plans to scrap the ability to contract-out of the State Second Pension (S2P) for money purchase schemes from 2012.

MINISTERS HAVE MADE A last-minute plea to the Financial Services Authority not to go ahead with plans to relax rules on selling personal pensions, laccording to leaked government documents shown to the Guardian.

More than a third of companies believe the cost of funding a defined benefit (DB) pension scheme is having a negative impact on their share price, claims research from Aon Consulting.

The self-invested personal pensions (sipps) market could gain around £250bn in assets following the A-Day changes, claims Suffolk Life.

The white paper on pension reform, widely expected to be published on Thursday, should meet five key tests, including setting out a clear timetable for reform, if it is to build a new sustainable system, claims the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

A National Pension Savings Scheme (Npss) would require some form of generic advice, the Treasury Select Committee (Tsc) has stated.

BRITAIN WOULD face a pensions crisis unless the government restored the earnings link to the basic state pension by 2012, John Hutton, the work and pensions secretary, warned yesterday, reports The Financial Times .

Everyone is gearing up for the apparent excitement of next week's DWP pensions white paper, as we finally get to learn the government's plans for the future of self-sufficiency at retirement.