May 2026
25May

UK Pensioners Suffer Heavy Tax Losses as 462,000 Rush to Withdraw Savings

Hundreds of thousands of British retirees are inadvertently surrendering significant portions of their life savings to HM Revenue and Customs, as an unprecedented rush to withdraw pension cash exposes catastrophic flaws in national retirement guidance. Startling data published annually by the Financial Conduct Authority reveals a 29 percent surge in the number of individuals cashing out their entire pension pots. Driven by unrelenting cost-of-living pressures and highly restrictive legacy financial products, retirees are triggering massive, entirely avoidable tax liabilities that...

May 25, 2026
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08May

New HMRC tax rules coming for DWP state pension after Labour update

New tax rules are coming on the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) state pension from 2028, it has been warned. Labour Party minister Torsten Bell has confirmed the shake-up as he responded to a question in the Commons. Mr Bell responded to fears the state pension - which is already dangerously close to breaching the personal tax-free allowance - could rise further with the Triple Lock next year, taking it over the threshold. Euan Stainbank reached out "to ask the Chancellor of...

May 8, 2026
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April 2026
29Apr

Australia. Solving the $326 billion ‘stranded’ pension asset problem

More than 1.5 million Australians aged 65 and over have left money sitting in superannuation accumulation phase, paying tax at 15 per cent on investment earnings when they could be in the tax-free pension phase and receiving higher retirement income. A dialogue paper published by the Actuaries Institute, It’s Time: Here’s How to Turn Superannuation into a Retirement Income System, puts the aggregate value of those “stranded” balances at $326 billion. the additional tax cost to those individuals exceeds $2 billion...

April 29, 2026
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20Apr

UK. Chancellor warned against tax raid on pension pots

The boss of Britain's largest pensions firm urged Rachel Reeves to rule out a tax raid on retirement pots, as she faces mounting pressure to boost defence spending. Standard Life chief executive Andy Briggs said savers needed certainty that the pension tax system is not 'going to keep changing' so they can plan properly for later life. 'My view is that pensions need a multi-decade policy approach,' he told the Daily Mail. 'If you get speculation each year, if there's any sort...

April 20, 2026
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10Apr

The Impact of Ageing on the Fiscal Sustainability of EU Health Care Systems: Projections and Policy Responses

By Boriana Goranova & Santiago Calvo Ramos  This Economic Brief analyses the effects of the expected population ageing on the public expenditure on health care in the EU, discusses the different policy options and finally describes the activities in this field by the European Commission. Get the report here  

April 10, 2026
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March 2026
25Mar

Majority of UK adults still unaware of IHT pension changes

Almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) UK adults have little or no awareness of the inheritance tax (IHT) pension changes to be introduced from next year, according to analysis from Standard Life. Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, revealed plans in the 2024 Autumn Budget to include pensions in IHT calculations from April 2027. This proposal became a reality when the Finance Bill received Royal Assent last week The government has estimated that 10,500 more estates will start paying IHT, and around 38,500 estates...

March 25, 2026
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December 2025
19Dec

European Financial Ecosystems. Comparing France, Sweden, UK and Italy.

By Stefano Caselli & Marta Zava The study examines the structure, functioning, and strategic implications of financial ecosystems across four European countries-France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Italy-to identify institutional best practices relevant to the ongoing transformation of Italy's financial system. Building on a comparative analysis of legislation and regulation, taxation, investor bases, and financial intermediation, the report highlights how distinct historical and institutional trajectories have shaped divergent models: the French dirigiste system anchored by powerful state-backed institutions and deep...

December 19, 2025
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November 2025
06Nov

UK savers pulling cash from pensions ahead of budget, money managers say

 British money managers are reporting a jump in people withdrawing cash from their pensions before this month's budget, amid fears for their tax advantages as the government warns it needs to make "hard choices" to prop up public finances. Most British savers can receive up to 25% of their pension as a tax-free lump sum. Some experts on fiscal policy have speculated that Rachel Reeves, the finance minister, might reduce the amount that can be withdrawn tax-free, a potential motive for savers to withdraw...

November 6, 2025
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05Nov

South Africa. Govt backtracks: Foreign pension income stays tax-free – for now

National Treasury has halted its plans to start taxing foreign pensions – for now. Chris Axelson, deputy-general of tax and financial policy, announced that Treasury has withdrawn its amendment of the draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill (TLAB), which would have deleted a section of the Income Tax Act that exempts foreign pensions from being taxed. Since 2001, South African tax residents – South Africans and foreign residents who retire in South Africa – who had worked overseas and receive foreign pensions...

November 5, 2025
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October 2025
13Oct

US. New IRS Rule Will Reshape 401k Contributions for Millions of Workers

A new rule issued by the IRS will alter how higher-income Americans approaching retirement can save in their 401(k) and other tax-deferred workplace retirement plans. The regulation comes from the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 and is scheduled to take effect at the start of the 2026 tax year. According to reporting by CNN, the change introduces new conditions on catch-up contributions for individuals who earned $145,000 or more in the prior year. These contributions will be redirected into Roth...

October 13, 2025
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