Tag Archives: net-pay

Jo’s pension manifesto

Posted on November 7, 2019 by

Sometimes someone comes out with a simple statement that makes sense of all the noise. Jo Cumbo launched her pension manifesto in the pages of Pensions Expert this week and I don’t want them to be lost to readers of … Continue reading →

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Time to tackle pensions tax

Posted on July 12, 2019 by

Pension taxation isn’t working. It is benefiting those who find it easy to save and not incentivising those who don’t. It is causing doctors to work below their peak capacity and demanding up to 25% more in contributions from our … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, age wage, pensions | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“I couldn’t afford a pension”.

Posted on February 18, 2019 by

  In my book of objections, supplied to me the first brokerage I sold for, the “I can’t afford it” objection sat at the top of the list. We were told to ask the customer “can you afford not to … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, auto-enrolment, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Managing pension expectations – are we doing enough?

Posted on January 16, 2019 by

This is one of those blogs where my focus is on big Government – or policy – rather than the little things that go into making political strategy happen. For a long time, as long as I’ve been working, there … Continue reading →

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The only solution to the net-pay pension problem comes from HMRC

Posted on January 14, 2019 by

  Last Thursday, there was another meeting of the group of us, determined to keep up pressure to sort the problem of net-pay pension contributions this side of auto-enrolment’s next big phasing hike in April. Just to rehearse the problem, … Continue reading →

Posted in accountants, pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

What is the net pay anomaly?

Posted on December 21, 2018 by

      UK government spending on pensions and top-up benefits for pensioners amounts to 5.9 per cent of GDP – and this figure is projected to increase to 6.3 per cent over the next half century. In addition, the … Continue reading →

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Was that “do-nothing” budget good or bad for pensions?

Posted on October 30, 2018 by

We are naturally conservative, resisting change while demanding improvements. We cannot have it both ways! Maintaining the status quo – as yesterday’s budget did, will please those who hate tinkering but displease those who see the current system as broken. … Continue reading →

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Will “DC deficits” become a thing of the past?

Posted on October 11, 2018 by

News of HMRC’s “change of position” with regards the “net-pay- anomaly” is welcome, and long overdue. It came in the form of a letter sent in response to a request from respected journalist Jo Cumbo of the FT. Govt to … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, annuity, auto-enrolment, pension playpen, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tax and “net-pay fallibility”.

Posted on October 6, 2018 by

A curious feature of British middle-class life is the belief in the infallibility of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The old certainties of “death and taxes” are comforting. When tax-evaders are found out, it reinforces our sense of the rectitude … Continue reading →

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Can a DC plan be “in deficit”?

Posted on September 2, 2018 by

Yesterday, I fired off a message to the Pensions Regulator to put a stop on Whitbread’s sale of Costa to Coke, till restitution is made of the money owing to the low earners auto-enrolled into its net pay workplace pension. I won’t … Continue reading →

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