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Money Box: Your insurance premium tax is set to rise. Again.

Your insurance premium tax is set to rise. Again.

26/11/2016

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box, Your insurance premium tax is set to rise. Again.

Insurance premium tax, salary sacrifice, tax credits, auto enrolment and a new NS&I bond.

Policyholders face yet another insurance premium tax rise, it's the beginning of the end for many salary sacrifice schemes and will the new NS&I bond excite or exasperate savers?

A tax which is added to many insurance policies including for pets, cars and home contents is set to rise again. Insurance Premium Tax will rise from 10% to 12% from June next year. Policyholders pay it but rarely see it listed on their bills. 

Around 28,000 families on low incomes who have a disabled child missed out on up to £4400 in tax credits between 2011 to 2014. The omission was due to a "gap in the data feed" between the Department of Work and Pensions and HMRC. The extra money due will be only be backdated to April this year. 

A new government savings bond launches next year. It will pay 2.2% on up to £3,000. Anna Bowes from Savings Champion discusses what savers should consider and also looks at plans to raise the Financial Services Compensation Scheme Limit for deposits back to £85,000 from next year. 

People on average earnings in auto enrolment pension schemes will need to increase their minimum contribution level to 12% of their pay if they want to secure an adequate income in retirement. That's the view from a report by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association. The current rate of saving is nominally 2% and is due to rise to a nominal 8% by 2019. The contribution rate is divided between employer and employee - could a 12% rise be a cost too far for small business and workers on low wages? 

This week's Autumn Statement confirmed significant changes to salary sacrifice schemes where workers exchange some of their pay in return for goods and services like gym memberships, childcare, computers and mobile phone deals. From next April most of these schemes will be subject to the same tax treatment as cash income. 

Presenter: Paul Lewis
Producer: Charmaine Cozier
Editor: Andrew Smith.

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