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Legalbrief   |   your legal news hub Monday 02 September 2024

Row erupts over tax cap in British judges\' pensions

Britain\'s Cabinet is split over a new Bill that proposes exempting judges from tighter tax controls on pensions.

The rules, unveiled in this year\'s Budget, mean that individuals can claim tax relief only on the first £1.5m of their pension savings, reports The Telegraph. But a Judicial Pensions Bill has been drawn up by Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, for inclusion in the Queen\'s Speech on November 23. It proposes making a special case for barristers who become judges. Senior lawyers, who take substantial pay cuts to become judges, have argued that the measure would dissuade top-flight QCs from joining the Bench. However, Labour MPs fear this amounts to exempting well-paid lawyers from new rules which affect everyone else. John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, is leading the opposition within Cabinet, and is considering drawing up emergency legislation to prevent the new cap on pension contributions. Full report in The Telegraph