Treasury: Brexit would wipe £2k off pension pots

New Treasury analysis suggests that a vote to leave the EU could erode the value of state pensions by £137 a year due to rising inflation.

Related topics:  Retirement
Rozi Jones
27th May 2016
George Osborne
"Pensioners would still be receiving increases pegged to inflation and so would maintain their standard of living, they just wouldn’t be moving ahead of inflation and the rest of the population quite so quickly."

The research also shows that those with an additional pension pot of £60,000 would see its value drop by £1,900.

Overall, the Treasury said that rising inflation, market turmoil and a fall in asset prices could wipe up to £300bn from total pensioner assets - around £32,000 per person.

Chancellor George Osborne said: “Pensioners who have worked hard all their lives deserve dignity, security and certainty in retirement. That’s what we all hope for and what any responsible government should seek to provide.”

Tom McPhail, Head of Retirement Policy at Hargreaves Lansdown, added: “Given the very high levels of uncertainty around the long term economic consequences of a Leave vote, it is probably ambitious to attempt a forecast of eventual outcomes. However we do anticipate a period of market instability and volatility in the event of a Leave vote, which could have a short term impact on UK pensions.

"Higher inflation could negate the above inflationary increases enjoyed from state pension recipients, thanks to the 2.5% increase element of the triple lock. However it is important to note that pensioners would still be receiving increases pegged to inflation and so would maintain their standard of living, they just wouldn’t be moving ahead of inflation and the rest of the population quite so quickly.
 
"Some final salary pensions and many individual annuities do not have full inflation-proofing. Higher inflation could therefore undermine the real value of these incomes. However we also note that a rise in bond yields following a Leave vote could equally have a significantly beneficial impact on final salary scheme deficits."

More like this
Latest from Property Reporter
Latest from Protection Reporter
CLOSE
Subscribe
to our newsletter

Join a community of over 30,000 intermediaries and keep up-to-date with industry news and upcoming events via our newsletter.