After a relatively quiet couple of years for pensions, 2021 saw a number of consultation papers, proposals, and studies which could suggest that there are further periods of change ahead. It seems that the period of relative calm for pensions may be coming to an end, and 2022 could see the cogs starting to turn on the next major regulatory and legislative changes.
Here are three themes Jessica List, Pension Technical Manager at Curtis Banks, thinks could be key for 2022.
Intergenerational planning
One of the side effects of the pandemic is that many people are giving more thought to how to make the most of their money, and about how to put it to the best possible use. This is helping shape people’s actions with their money today (for example, with the increased focus on ESG considerations in investing), but also means many more people are considering how their money will (or could) be used in the future as well.
Intergenerational planning is becoming a huge area in financial services. Broadly speaking, there are two areas to consider: passing on wealth during a person’s lifetime, and passing on wealth after death. Given the different rules and considerations that would apply to different types of assets in each case, it’s easy to see why it’s such a significant area.
The last couple of years have seen a lot of discussion about the need to reform the inheritance tax rules, as well as papers about the wider issue of intergenerational inequality, such as The Intergenerational Foundation’s ‘Left behind: a decade of intergenerational unfairness’. All have come with suggestions about ways to reform and simplify the tax system and create an environment which encourages people to act in a way that reduces intergenerational inequality.
As pensions are often one of a person’s largest assets and most are normally exempt from inheritance tax, they will undoubtedly form an important part of any discussions in this area. There’s a lot of flexibility in defined contribution death benefits – particularly in products like SIPPs, which are more likely to allow the full flexibility allowed by the rules. Such products are potentially very beneficial for intergenerational planning. However, this also means that if the wider inheritance taxation system was reformed to encourage certain behaviours, defined contribution pensions could end up offering something of a loophole to those who would prefer to act differently. Therefore pension death benefits rules would need to be considered to make sure they fit into any wider system reforms.
Normal minimum pension age (NMPA)
The 2028 NMPA increase made headlines throughout 2021, and this is set to continue in 2022. Last year brought unexpected and complex proposals for a new form of protected pension age (PPA) related to the increase, as well as some further surprise changes to those proposals. It may be too soon to completely rule out any further changes, particularly given how unhappy the industry is with the suggestions and their potential to add complexity to the pensions system for many years to come.
