KiwiSaver to have auto-enrolment

Bill English has just announced that when the Government returns to surplus (in 2014/15), they will run an automatic KiwiSaver enrolment campaign for employees. This will apply in the same way as when you get a new job – you can opt out within a month.

The estimated cost (based on 55% of those auto-enrolled staying enrolled) is $550 million over four years. They will not do the auto-enrolment before the return to surplus as this would mean the Government is borrowing to pay for the savings subsidy, which mean overall national savings do not increase – you just increase private savings and public debt.

English has said National will not make KiwiSaver compulsory as some peeple prefer to save for retirement in other ways.