The Treasury is to give savers more freedom on how they can take their tax-free lump sums from pension pots, with new rules allowing savers to take a portion of their pension out at any time.
Under current rules, savers over the age of 55 can withdraw 25% of their pension as a tax-free lump sum. However, under the reforms, they will be able to withdraw money from it whenever they want, with 25% of the sum still tax-free.
The new arrangements for what has been dubbed a "pensions bank account" will be explained in detail in a Taxation of Pensions Bill published today, the BBC reported.
Hargreaves Lansdown head of pensions research Tom McPhail said: "In theory this does mean that pensions could be used like a bank account, with investors dipping in to draw income at will. Investors could receive each monthly payment in the form of a 25% tax-free payment, with the balance taxed under income tax rules."
"It could also possibly mean investors drawing their tax-free lump sum but deferring the taxable balance. This balance could then be passed on to beneficiaries on death and could potentially avoid any tax charge. Pensions will be - in theory at least - supremely flexible."
The government's pension reforms have the potential to "revolutionise" investors' appetite for long-term savings. But with little provision for advice and a lack of regulation around non-advised sales, inexperienced investors are at risk of being disappointed, he warned: "The Chancellor appears to be creating the perfect environment for a misselling scandal."
In the March Budget, the Chancellor George Osborne outlined plans to reduce limits on income drawdown. Ahead of today's publication, he said:"People who have worked hard and saved all their lives should be free to choose what they do with their money, and that freedom is central to our long-term economic plan.
"From next year they'll be able to access as much or as little of their defined contribution pension as they want and pass on their hard-earned pensions to their families tax free.
"For some people an annuity will be the right choice whereas others might want to take their whole tax-free lump sum and convert the rest to drawdown.
"We've extended the choices even further by offering people the option of taking a number of smaller lump sums, instead of one single big lump sum."
The rule change will still need the help of providers to work however, with firms in a position to make life difficult by imposing additional fees if they choose to do so.
