Wellington, June 3 NZPA - Kiwibank today launched new savings accounts that will allow some savers to take advantage of the Portfolio Investment Entities (PIE) legislation that limits tax on interest to 30 percent.

Finance Minister Bill English says no one should be surprised they will be taxed on their KiwiSaver contributions above the minimum 2 percent.

Wellington, Dec 9 NZPA - An overestimate of the costs of tax cuts and axing the annual $40 KiwiSaver fee subsidy is going to soften the blow for low income workers using the savings scheme, Finance Minister Bill English said today.

Wellington, Dec 9 NZPA - The Government has confirmed it will axe the annual $40 fee subsidy it puts into KiwiSaver accounts to help pay for a better deal for low income workers.

The Government is understood to be considering axing the annual $40 fee subsidy it puts into KiwiSaver accounts to help pay for a better deal for low income workers.

The Government will introduce legislation this week that is likely to include a change to KiwiSaver policy to help low income workers -- costing an additional $700 million over five years.

National will consider a union proposal to protect low-income workers from KiwiSaver changes. Prime Minister elect John Key invited and met Public Service Association national secretary Brenda Pilott and Council of Trade Unions economist Peter Conway yesterday.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen has used the release of figures showing 827,000 people are now KiwiSaver members to attack National's plans to "gut" the scheme.

Wellington, Oct 14 NZPA - Marac Finance has joined the list of financial institutions intending to opt-in to the Government's deposit guarantee scheme.

Of the 800,213 people enrolled as KiwiSavers as of last Saturday more than 290,000 were automatically signed up when they started new jobs. Finance Minister Michael Cullen released the figures today. He said it was positive that 29 percent of those in the scheme were aged under 25.

More KiwiSavers will be able to divert contributions towards repaying their mortgages under changes to the scheme, Finance Minister Michael Cullen announced today.

Parliament has passed law to ensure employers pay contributions to their employees' KiwiSaver accounts and putting workers' rights to rest, and meal breaks and infant feeding breaks into law.

The Government has introduced a proposed law change to Parliament which it says will ensure employers meet their obligations to pay contributions to their employees' KiwiSaver accounts.

National MP Lockwood Smith says his comments about the party having to swallow dead fish to make the public happy do not mean it has any secret agenda. Last night TV3 broadcast secretly recorded remarks Dr Smith made on Friday at the party's conference.

Wellington, July 23 NZPA - Market volatility is encouraging affluent investors to join up to KiwiSaver schemes, a new survey from KiwiSaver provider ING (NZ) shows.

The Government is going to change the law so employers cannot pay less to employees in the KiwiSaver scheme than to those who are not.

National's leader, John Key, says there will be "some modest changes" to the KiwiSaver scheme if his party wins the election. Mr Key would not give any details today when he was questioned on TV One's Breakfast programme but he said nothing radical would be done.

More than 700,000 people have signed up to the Government's KiwiSaver as the retirement savings scheme celebrates its first birthday today.

The numbers of people enrolled in KiwiSaver has passed the 670,000 mark with 2300 new members signing up every day in May, the Government said today.

A slip-up by a National backbencher has forced the party to reveal it will keep compulsory employer contributions to Kiwisaver.

National has been forced to announce it will back the turbo-charged KiwiSaver after a backbench MP incorrectly told a business audience that compulsory employer contributions was not party policy.

The numbers signing up for KiwiSaver surged by 78,000 in April taking the total enrolments to 600,000. Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said in a statement that the surge was a huge response to the Government's enhancements to the scheme.

Labour Minister Trevor Mallard has confirmed the Department of Labour is investigating claims that employers are paying less to workers in KiwiSaver while still claiming the tax credit.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen today said 20,000 people had signed up in the first nine days of April, taking total membership to 542,000. Dr Cullen said the high uptake "continues to amaze".

The Department of Labour is investigating claims that employers are paying less to workers who are in KiwiSaver and receiving an employer contribution to their savings.

The Government will consider a law change to stop employers ripping off workers who have joined the KiwiSaver scheme, Labour Minister Trevor Mallard said today.

Wellington, April 2 NZPA - KiwiSavers who want to add a "green" touch to their investment can now do so through a fund being launched by ASB.

The Green Party is calling on the Securities Commission to enforce new rules that require KiwiSaver providers to say whether they offer responsible investment policies. Greens co-leader Russel Norman said the rules came into effect yesterday.

Under 18-year-old KiwiSavers working at one of the country's biggest supermarket chains will receive the bonus of employer contributions from April 1.

The Government today said a teething problem meant it has had to make a change to the KiwiSaver employer tax credit process.