pension reform

The Treasury says people exceeding the annual allowance (AA) on pension savings must meet their tax charges as soon as they arise.

The Treasury has confirmed Lord Hutton will publish his final report on public sector pension reform on Thursday 10 March.

Allowing early access to pension funds in some cases could place pensioners' beneficiaries at risk of a 55% tax charge, AJ Bell warns.

The Treasury could scrap civil servants' right to keep their pensions when their services are bought out by private sector companies.

Allowing access to pension pots before age 55 will worsen the savings crisis and increase bureaucracy, the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) says.

Occupational pension scheme members have attacked the switch in indexing benefits to CPI inflation as a Treasury cost-saving exercise aimed at benefitting business over pensioners.

Pensioners have been unfairly insulated from government spending cuts and £16bn could be saved if their benefits are reduced, a think- tank says.

Recent pension reform has ushered in more flexibility for retirees. What impact do you think this will have on the annuity market?

Individuals transferring from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC)schemes could be expected to sign a statement acknowledging the potential change it may cause to their benefits.

Pension experts have broadly welcomed Treasury plans to consult on allowing access to 25% of pension savings tax free before retirement but warn the new rules must be kept as simple as possible.