Government urged to focus on superannuation anomalies

superannuation-contributions/SPAA/government/chief-executive/

13 February 2012
| By Staff |
image
image
expand image

Moves by the Australian Greens to persuade the Government to introduce a scaled tax on superannuation contributions has been vetoed by the Self Managed Super Fund Professionals' Association of Australia (SPAA).

The Australian Greens' leader, Bob Brown, announced his party's policy approach last week, but SPAA warned that such a move, effectively aimed at cutting tax concessions for higher income earners, would serve to undermine the incentive for Australians to build an appropriate retirement nest-egg.

"Rather than penalising those who are saving through superannuation for an independent life post-working age, the Government should turn its attention to the considerable ongoing barriers to all Australians saving adequately for their retirement," SPAA chief executive Andrea Slattery said.

Referring to the Government's proposals last year to introduce a maximum fund balance limit of $500,000 in order to access higher contributions caps, SPAA reiterated that not only would that proposal add a large layer of complexity to the system, it would also ignore variations in work and savings patterns of different individuals.

It warned that this would be particularly the case with women, "for whom superannuation balances are inordinately low".

SPAA also cited the harshness of the current excess contributions tax (ECT) regime as a further major barrier and disincentive for people to save as much as they are able to.

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest news and developments in wealth management industry

MARKET INSIGHTS

So we are now underwriting criminal scams?...

2 months 3 weeks ago

Glad to see the back of you Steve. You made financial more expensive, not more affordable as you claim, and presided ...

2 months 3 weeks ago

Completely agree Peter. The definition of 'significant change is circumstances relevant to the scope of the advice' is s...

4 months 4 weeks ago

ASIC has suspended the Australian Financial Services Licence of a Melbourne-based financial advice firm....

1 week 5 days ago

The corporate regulator has issued infringement notices to three AFSLs whose financial advisers provided personal advice to a retail client while unregistered....

2 weeks 3 days ago

ASIC has released the results of its first adviser exam to be held in 2025, with 241 candidates attempting the test....

3 weeks 1 day ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS

ACS FIXED INT - AUSTRALIA/GLOBAL BOND