UK: No savings account beats inflation
Savers will struggle to erode the effects of rising inflation as there as the savings number of products dries up.
Savers will struggle to erode the effects of rising inflation as there as the savings number of products dries up.
11:33AM GMT 13 Dec 2011
Today's inflation figures show that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell during November from 5pc to 4.8pc.
In order to beat inflation, a basic-rate taxpayer paying 20pc would need to find a savings account paying 6pc per year, while a higher rate taxpayer at 40pc needs to find an account paying at least 8pc.
However, there is not a single savings account on the market that taxpayers can choose to negate the effects of tax and inflation whether it is CPI at 4.8pc or the Retail Prices Index (RPI) at 5.2pc.
The effect of inflation on savings means that £10,000 invested five years ago, allowing for average interest and tax at 20pc, would have the spending power of just £9,210 today.
Sylvia Waycot, spokesperson for Moneyfacts.co.uk, said: "Savers continue to lose out to inflation even though the rate fell today. With returns so low and inflation unsteady, people don't know which way to turn."
A growing number of people are falling into an eroding spending-power trap which has already wiped nearly £800 off the spending power of £10,000 in just five years, said Ms Waycot.
"Over the last year the number of savings accounts that beat inflation for basic rate taxpayers has dropped successively from 57 to absolutely none, which must leave savers wondering why they save at all," she said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/savings/8953110/No-savings-account-beats-inflation.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/savings/8953110/No-savings-account-beats-inflation.html