英国公务员抚恤金延误致家属面临"不公正"税单

英国公务员养老金计划因管理混乱导致严重处理延误，超过1600个亡故公务员家属的丧亡抚恤金申请已等待超过100天未获处理。1根据英国税法规定，亡故时年龄未满75岁的人员其抚恤金必须在两年内发放才能免税，否则受益人需按其边际税率缴纳税款。1这些延误可能导致符合免税条件的家属被不当征税。

该合同由Capita公司负责管理，该公司于去年12月获得价值2.39亿英镑的合同。1公众账目委员会主席Geoffrey Clifton-Brown表示，"死亡抚恤金在两年内发放的可能性很小"。1政府内阁办公室已就管理问题对Capita扣留约1000万英镑款项。1公众账目委员会主席已呼吁政府修改法律以保护这些家属免受不公正的税务负担。1养老金监察员估计需要18个月来处理相关投诉案件。1申请人Clare Norris已等待11个月的抚恤金，其丈夫去年11月去世。1

More than 1,600 families of deceased civil servants are at risk of facing substantial tax bills due to significant delays in processing death benefit claims within the UK civil service pension scheme 1. The delays have left bereaved relatives waiting over 100 days for applications to be processed, raising concerns about compliance with tax regulations that require such payments to be issued within two years of death to remain tax-free 1.

Under current tax law, death benefits for individuals under 75 at the time of death must be distributed within two years to avoid taxation; otherwise, beneficiaries face charges at their marginal tax rate 1. Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, has warned that "there is little likelihood of death grants being paid within two years," highlighting the scale of the problem 1. The delays stem from administrative failures by Capita, the company managing the pension scheme, which was awarded a contract worth £239 million last December 1. The Cabinet Office has withheld approximately £10 million in payments to Capita in response to the mismanagement 1.

One affected widow, Clare Norris, has been waiting eleven months for her benefit payment following her husband's death in November of the previous year 1. The pensions ombudsman is estimated to require up to eighteen months to process complaints related to these delays 1. The situation has prompted calls for the government to amend tax legislation to protect bereaved families from unjust taxation resulting from payment delays beyond their control 1.