Pension tax relief warning (higher rate)

Pension tax relief warning (higher rate)

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Discussion

NoelWatson

Original Poster:

11,710 posts

250 months

Saturday 11th April 2009
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Article in FT today - there is a rumour that Gunment may remove high rate tax relief on pension contributions

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/818e25f0-25c5-11de-be57-...

Tiggsy

10,261 posts

260 months

Tuesday 14th April 2009
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not big news to anyone in the industry. i started as a financial adviser in the 90's and back then the institute of fiscals studies was saying higher rate relief was unsustainable for much longer

Horse_Apple

3,795 posts

250 months

Thursday 16th April 2009
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haworthlloyd1 said:
im in the industry mate and i think its big news.

higher rate tax relief is one of the few things that make pensions attractive alongside protection on bankruptcy and IHT relief

otherwise why have 20% tax relief to be taxed on the other side, and is 20% relief really worth it considering negatives for a pension?

It would kill off pension planning
Certainly would.

It won't happen as this country's shifting age demographics means that we are becoming more and more reliant on the spending power of the over 60s as well as their time contributions to charities and domestic help.

To ensure that all pensioners were equally impoverished would kill off far more than the pensions industry.

Obviously, Winky McFN will focus on short term revenue savings to cover his appalling financial activities of the last decade but I'm confident that there are enough common sense individuals in the commons and Lords to prevent him being so stupid.

Lurking Lawyer

4,535 posts

233 months

Thursday 16th April 2009
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It will be interesting to see what the Budget has to say on this.

Which reminds me - I really ought to finally get around to trying to reclaim the higher rate relief on my last six years' pension contributions. I don't quite know how I got to my mid-thirties, and a good number of years as a higher rate taxpayer, before I found out that it's up to me to claim the higher rate back.... Doh.

Knowing my luck, I'll finally pull my finger out and put the wheels in motion only to find that higher rate relief is abolished!

NoelWatson

Original Poster:

11,710 posts

250 months

Thursday 16th April 2009
quotequote all
Lurking Lawyer said:
It will be interesting to see what the Budget has to say on this.

Which reminds me - I really ought to finally get around to trying to reclaim the higher rate relief on my last six years' pension contributions. I don't quite know how I got to my mid-thirties, and a good number of years as a higher rate taxpayer, before I found out that it's up to me to claim the higher rate back.... Doh.

Knowing my luck, I'll finally pull my finger out and put the wheels in motion only to find that higher rate relief is abolished!
Surely you've done this on your tax return?

Horse_Apple

3,795 posts

250 months

Thursday 16th April 2009
quotequote all
Lurking Lawyer said:
It will be interesting to see what the Budget has to say on this.

Which reminds me - I really ought to finally get around to trying to reclaim the higher rate relief on my last six years' pension contributions. I don't quite know how I got to my mid-thirties, and a good number of years as a higher rate taxpayer, before I found out that it's up to me to claim the higher rate back.... Doh.

Knowing my luck, I'll finally pull my finger out and put the wheels in motion only to find that higher rate relief is abolished!
I'm exactly the same. I went to cash on my pension at the end of 97 and out of curiosity I tried to reconcile my balance and was not able to. It was only then that I realised I was missing the higher rate rebate and then learned that I was supposed to have claimed it each year via Self Assessment.

All being sorted now by the accountant, which I should have employed years ago.

Still, all in, I suspect the zero performance of this cash will outperform the benchmarks quite nicely. biggrin

Lurking Lawyer

4,535 posts

233 months

Thursday 16th April 2009
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NoelWatson said:
Lurking Lawyer said:
It will be interesting to see what the Budget has to say on this.

Which reminds me - I really ought to finally get around to trying to reclaim the higher rate relief on my last six years' pension contributions. I don't quite know how I got to my mid-thirties, and a good number of years as a higher rate taxpayer, before I found out that it's up to me to claim the higher rate back.... Doh.

Knowing my luck, I'll finally pull my finger out and put the wheels in motion only to find that higher rate relief is abolished!
Surely you've done this on your tax return?
(a) As I said, I didn't know anything about the need to do so until recently! It would never have occurred to me to seek to reclaim it; but regardless

(b) After a couple of years of self-assessment with me having sod all to declare over and above income already taxed PAYE income, they told me I didn't need to submit a return.

Tiggsy

10,261 posts

260 months

Friday 17th April 2009
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haworthlloyd1 said:
im in the industry mate and i think its big news.
Fair point, it's big news. I suppose i meant it's no surprise....it simply cant continue as it is and thats been known for years. Interestingly, if they did away with it but re-introduced the charging structures from the 90's (and the commissions to go with it) you'd still see pension sales increase!

fourtears

1 posts

188 months

Saturday 18th April 2009
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Isn't there a quick bit of self-protection we can do here for anyone who is planning to put AVCs in but has the cash available now? If we open a personal pension before the budget with a decent lump sum equal to the AVCs we plan for the next year or two, then if higher rate tax relief is removed but not back-dated, we will have gotten in before (no need to make regular AVCs). If the change does not happen, or it is back-dated, then we can cancel the new pension within the month of cooling off period.

Obviously need to be confident that our income during this tax year will create a higher rate tax liability big enough to cover the lump sum and any other pension contributions this year... and given we are at the beginning of it that is quite a risky assumption, could lose job before earning enough this year.

Does this seem like a free option?