Some of the taxes we currently pay and a number of the tax breaks we are given to encourage us to save for old age are either too onerous or far too complicated.

Pensions Minister Guy Opperman and shadow pensions minister Jack Dromey have called for for a new independent 'arms-length' government body in a think-tank report.

Thousands of families are being forced to complete complicated paperwork to report the value of a loved one's estate to the taxman when they die - even when there is no inheritance tax to pay.

Reputable firms don't encourage savers to take money out of pensions before they are 55, in the form of a loan or any other kind of cash payout, due to the stiff tax penalty.

As the executor I'm a bit concerned that we may be breaking the law if he starts the work before probate is granted. What should we do? Lawyer James Beresford, pictured, replies.

The provider bucked the trend of falling rates, increasing the interest on its one-year fixed saver from 1.15 per cent. The account is operated by Goldman Sachs International Bank.

Sweeping reviews of pension calculations have uncovered tens of thousands of errors that have seen pensioners overpaid, and underpaid, for decades.

We reported last week how Peter Burgess (pictured) had been unable to access his pension pot, while Pat Savage had been waiting for a compensation payment for nearly three months.

Lorraine Johnson-Rosner, 70, makes £10,000 to £15,000 a year selling similar rooms and gardens for dolls, plus vintage dolls and clothes for them.

Age UK has warned that hundreds of thousands of over 75s could struggle to pay for their TV licences if the BBC scales back on the benefit this summer in an effort to slash costs.

Of those who start drawing an income, just two out of five do so immediately. Among those who wait, 40% put it off for at least half a year, and 24% delay for more than a year, says Hargreaves Lansdown.

People aged 39-54 who suffered compulsory redundancy have average pensions savings of £120,634 - while those who avoided being laid off have £202,017.

The withdrawal agreement under which the UK exits the EU on January 31 provides certainty on future state pension rises for current EU expats.

The cost of funerals is soaring - rising more than £200 over the past year to an average of more than £4,400 this month. But a decent send-off can still be arranged for less than half of this price.

Spouses whose partners die intestate are to receive at least the first £270,000 of their estate from 6 February onward.

Which? found 77 per cent of 1,500 people surveyed in the UK held either one account or several with the same provider, leaving them stuck during online and mobile banking hitches.

Former prison officer Paul Davidson, 62, pictured, was forced to retire early in 2012 after he suffered a breakdown. He spent a month in a clinic and his wife had to give up work to care for him.

Insurer Royal London says the hundreds of people who take early retirement every year due to work-related sickness could find themselves in breach of their annual pension saving allowance.

nheritance tax at 40 per cent should be ditched and replaced with a 10 per cent tax on annual gifts of £30,000-plus and a new death allowance, says a report by MPs.

Some pensioners, such as Royal Navy veteran Arthur Mullett (pictured) and former Royal Mail delivery driver Chris Slaytor, have refused to accept the huge shock bills, they received after mistakes were made.

Ellen Wade's son and daughter-in-law got embroiled in a bizarre misunderstanding over her address - despite being easily able to prove she had lived there since the mid-1970s.

Some 54% said they were unaware of the current size of their pots, and a further 8% couldn't answer, while 38% said they did know.

I have been a permanent resident in Canada and had dual citizenship since 1977. I have opened a sterling bank account with HSBC in Canada - can my British state pension be paid into it?

Savers who want to ease into or delay retirement should be allowed to take part of their state pension and put off drawing the rest, says Aviva.

Former Army Major Adrian Furnival, pictured with wife Sheila, will soon have £70 stripped from his £260 weekly pension - yet was only told about the cut in February 2018

A raid on popular pension tax breaks to drum up cash for other Government projects is reportedly on the cards at the upcoming March Budget.

Moves such as cutting higher rate tax relief are often depicted as hitting the wealthy older generation, but that's disingenuous.

I feel aggrieved my inheritance is going to be £25k while my brother will likely get £975k from my father in addition to the £4m in properties he's already received.

There's enough money to keep up with my mum's care home payments until Christmas. I'm keeping the heating switched off and have cut down on groceries to try to save some extra money.

Would tips be taken into consideration for child benefit? If they aren't then his income falls below the threshold at which child benefit is removed. The child benefit rules and common traps explained...

With the smell of a spring Budget in the air comes the rumour of yet more restrictions on the tax relief available to boost our pension saving. But how will Mr Sunak treat pension savers?

Proposed changes to inheritance tax could make it more costly to help children onto the housing ladder, with a proposed 10% tax levied on sums above £30,000 given away each year.

This case highlights how complicated the rules on final salary pensions can be to navigate. Find out what you should ask your scheme before triggering payments here.

The controversial investment-linked insurance policies were popular decades ago, but have since been all but abandoned by customers and firms after an explosion in complaints.

One financial advice firm has told how its premiums rose from £3,700 in 2009 to £45,000 in 2019. Another adviser says premiums jumped from £22,736 in 2017 to £112,000 in 2018.

Vanguard says the new self-invested personal pension scheme is designed to cut the 'cost and complexity' of saving for retirement.

Rookie Chancellor Rishi Sunak was given a month to prepare for the Budget on March 11. Will Government top-ups into retirement savings pots be lowered to the 20 per cent basic rate for everyone?

What is to stop my ex-husband converting everything to useless shares that are falling in value? Barrister Rhys Taylor explains how pensions are handled when couples divorce.

If the new Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants to appeal to Tory voters in the shires and the new converts in the Red Wall seats of the North, he should use his first Budget to end the war of attrition on savers.

'Cash today, poverty tomorrow must be avoided, as large withdrawals from pension pots could mean later life hardship for many,' says the Association of British Insurers.

There are 18 providers offering 74 deals - up from just 36 this time last year. The average interest rate charged has fallen slightly from 3.5 per cent to 3.47 per cent , according to moneyfacts.co.uk.

Five years after the introduction of pension freedoms, the Association of British Insurers is warning that many middle-aged savers may not be doing what's best with their pension pots.

After the failure by UK authorities to take action, campaigners have launched a private prosecution on the Costa Blanca where many of the rogue schemes now operate.

A 'tipping point' will be reached where older people are unable to afford care, councils lack funding, and care homes don't have enough room to meet demand, warns the 'Elderly Care Crisis' report.

A selection of Steve's top columns can help you avoid being scammed, understand the mysteries of the new state pension, and gain peace of mind by making the most of your pension savings.

Pension credit is a benefit for the poorest pensioners, and a surge in applications is likely to be underway due to the decision to means test pensioners for the free TV licence.

The £980 cremation service is aimed at people wanting a budget or unconventional send-off for loved ones. Ashes are returned to a family, who can then mark a death at an affordable price.

The pension incomes of Britain's richest retirees are now 17 times higher than those of the poorest as the gap between the two has nearly doubled over the past decade.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 11 per cent of private sector workers who have a pension are in a generous final salary scheme. This compares to 92 per cent in the public sector.

Anyone aged 47 or under must plan ahead if they want to retire earlier than 57, or will need cash for other purposes like paying off mortgages, home renovations or university fees for their children.