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Britons 'unaware of pension tax relief'

05 November 2008
Categories: News , Investments
Young adults are least informed, says Zurich

The majority of British taxpayers are unaware of the tax rules connected to long-term fiscal planning, according to financial services provider Zurich.

A new study by the company shows that three-quarters of the population do not know that they are entitled to tax relief on pension contributions.

Broken down into age groups, 82% of adults between 25 and 34 are oblivious to the relief, while 77% of those in the 35-to-44 range do not know about it. The most informed are people aged 55 or older, with 31% understanding that there are tax advantages to pensions. 

Meanwhile, men (30%) are more aware than women (20%) of the tax relief.

Zurich's survey also examined tax awareness of other long-term financial planning products, finding that fewer than one in ten Britons are aware of the tax rules regarding income bonds, and only 10% know about the tax treatment when investing in stocks and shares.

A greater proportion of the population (48%), however, are aware of tax rules on ISAs, with Londoners (53%) being the most savvy.

The tax relief available on charity donations is also reasonably well known: 34% of those surveyed were aware of the benefits, with knowledge increasing with age.

Categories: News , Investments
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