The 2012 Federal Budget announcement will test confidence in the superannuation system, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Alice Kase.
She said informational inclusions and exclusions about superannuation in the Federal Budget will make people question superannuation's validity as a vehicle for retirement savings.
Despite trepidation, Kase said superannuation still remains worthwhile for the accumulation of longer term wealth for retirement, and the gains from compound interest remain unbeaten, unless the investment carries a high degree of risk.
"It's fair to say that to benefit from super you need staying power, and understandably, increasing the complexity will test people's endurance," she said.
Kase said despite public pressure, the Government failed to clarify or relax the excess contributions tax regime introduced at the beginning of the financial year, which can result in a 93 per cent tax on contributions.
Changes to the budget included an additional 15 per cent tax on concessional contributions from 1 July 2012 for individuals earning more than $300,000, reduction of the concessional contribution limit for individuals over 50 from $50,000 to $25,000 from 1 July 2012, and employment termination payments taxed at the top marginal rate for individual taxable incomes over $180,000.
A major super fund has defended its use of private markets in a submission to ASIC, asserting that appropriate governance and information-sharing practices are present in both public and private markets.
A member body representing some prominent wealth managers is concerned super funds’ dominance is sidelining small companies in capital markets.
Earlier this month, several Australian superannuation funds fell victim to credential stuffing attacks, which saw a small number of members lose more than $500,000.
Small- to medium-sized funds have become collateral damage in an "imperfect" model for super industry levies, a financial institution has said.