PC report canvasses lifting preservation age

The Federal Opposition has called on the Government to confirm its commitment to no changes to super in wake of the Productivity Commission's (PC) release of a Superannuation Policy and Post-Retirement report canvassing lifting the super preservation age.

The shadow Treasurer, Chris Bowen, made the call amid industry debate generated by the PC report.

However, while the report canvassed achieving up to $7 billion in savings from lifting the preservation age and urged the Government to more finely target superannuation policy, it also pointed to the fact that transition to retirement pension arrangements have become almost the sole preserve of the wealthy.

The PC report said that transition to retirement pensions, though intended to encourage a gradual shift from full-time work to full-time retirement, could be used to reduce a worker's tax liability.  

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What is more, the report said such arrangements appeared to mostly preserve the wealthy.  

Discussing those likely to be utilising transition to retirement arrangements, the report said they were "more likely to be working full-time and earned higher incomes than those not using transition to retirement pension arrangements".  

"In terms of the households discussed earlier and used in the Commission's modelling, those using transition to retirement pensions were almost exclusively in the two wealthiest quartiles of couple households," it said.

"While the data are imperfect, the available evidence does tend to suggest that transition to retirement pensions are used almost exclusively by the wealthy."  

The PC report event obliquely points to the likelihood that those accessing transition to retirement arrangements are doing so on the basis of financial advice, stating: "Why this should be the case is unclear. From the age of 55 years onwards, the tax incentives are strong enough that most who are employed and facing a marginal tax rate of greater than 15 per cent should avail themselves of the transition to retirement pension".  

"It may be a case that those with lower incomes have less of an incentive to do so relative to those facing higher income tax liabilities, or it may also be the case that many are unaware of the transition to retirement pension arrangements that currently exist."