Business backing for pension age cut in Scotland

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, February 4, 2014


It found that while 44pc of the companies backed keeping the pension age the same as the rest of the UK, 40pc said an independent Scotland should have its own state pension system and retirement age, while 3pc said pension payouts should remain the same but the age at which they begin should be different.




Asked if an independent Scottish Parliament should introduce tax breaks to encourage setting up health and wellness programmes, 47pc of club members supported the proposal, compared with 21pc who were against it.


Malcolm Paul, chairman of JLT employee benefits in Scotland, said: “There has been a lot of talk about Scotland having lower state pension ages than the rest of the UK because average life expectancy in Scotland is lower.


“However, this is just addressing the symptoms and not treating the disease. The real issue is ‘how to improve life expectancy in Scotland?’ and at least part of the answer has to be through positive lifestyle changes to improve the health of the population.


“Scotland’s label as ‘the sick man of Europe’ has to be addressed.”


He added that studies into the benefits of introducing employee wellness programmes - such as subsidised gym memberships, offering off time to exercise, and educational schemes - claim that they return between 2.3 and 10 times the amount invested in them through less sickness.


The survey also found that 49pc of respondents believe an independent Scotland would need its own pensions regulator.





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