Tag Archives: Tax

Taking care of the “social” in housing.

Posted on August 18, 2017 by

Paying for the improvements in our social housing, to improve safety is going to be expensive. You wonder where the money will come from, or at least I did till I read a good article by Merryn Somerset-Webb in the … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

We cannot treat low-earners as second class retirees.

Posted on August 5, 2017 by

I am returning again to the complicated tax situation that people earning under the nil-rate income threshold find themselves in when saving into pensions. I’m doing so for three reasons From a societal point of view , it is wrong … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

No demand, no supply, no advice- wonder why?

Posted on July 31, 2017 by

No demand? We learn today that advisers are not demanding providers rebate them portions of their client’s funds to pay for their pension related services. This is really odd; as pension funds are tax-advantaged and investors are missing out on tax-advantaged … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

“A dementia tax- by any other name”- guest blog from Alex Adamou

Posted on May 28, 2017 by

Thanks to Alexander for this excellent blog and for Con Keating for sending it to me. After watching an unusually shallow discussion of the so-called “dementia tax” on This Week last night, I want to give my take on it. … Continue reading →

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

What a “strong mandate” means for pensions.

Posted on April 19, 2017 by

Since the range of outcomes considered by the bookies ranges from “strong” to “weak” conservative majority, I’m putting my money on the Liberals getting an overall majority (only 25-1 with William Hill). That seems the likeliest alternative outcome and I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The half completed bridge – pension tax reform.

Posted on March 8, 2017 by

      Today is Budget Day, though you wouldn’t know it! It’s a kind of side-issue when mainstream news is dominated by Trump’s latest antics and speculation over BREXIT. There was a time when the Pension world would be … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

£500 “wealth cheques” written by those “just getting by”.

Posted on February 4, 2017 by

First the facts The Treasury has upped the amount savers will be able to draw from their pensions to pay for financial advice from £500 to £1,500. In August, the Government set out plans for a £500 “pensions advice allowance” … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Where does all our money go?

Posted on November 23, 2016 by

Two of the big three revenue sources are income tax and national insurance, they’re the ones who hurt the well off. The third biggie -VAT is the one that hurts the poorest. Poor people pay VAT at the same rate as … Continue reading →

Posted in pensions | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tax-subsidies on retirement advice; a waste of public funds!

Posted on September 5, 2016 by

The Government intends to extend tax breaks on pensions to allow those with pension pots to use them to pay for advice. The details are in this consultation document. The fundamental premise is that taking financial advice on retirement matters … Continue reading →

Posted in advice gap, consultant, dc pensions, de-risking, defined ambition, pensions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

An Apple a day, 700 reasons not to stay!

Posted on August 31, 2016 by

General angst, everywhere but here! There are a lot of people getting very angry about the EU’s determination that Apple should be paying Euro 13bn in tax to the Irish Government. Apple aren’t happy at the prospect of corporate profits … Continue reading →

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