The New Zealand Government has recently proposed a significant overhaul of the taxation rules affecting charities and not-for-profits (NFPs), which could have far-reaching implications for businesses and organisations across the country. 

Tax compliance can be complex, between income tax, GST, PAYE there is often a lot to manage and get right. It is therefore inevitable that from time-to-time mistakes will happen. When these moments occur the question then becomes “what do we do?”.

New Zealand's updated Active Investor Plus visa aims to attract foreign investors by introducing more flexible investment options and lowering entry barriers, such as removing English language requirements. While these changes may boost economic activity and diversify investments, their long-term impact depends on investor confidence, sectoral alignment, and global competitiveness.

As businesses expand, a common decision is whether to create new companies to accommodate new ventures, risks, products and/or acquisitions. A well-designed group structure enables a ‘parent’ company to create distinct entities that operate independently.

What was a temporary tax concession relating to donated trading stock has now become a permanent one thanks to the enactment of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Act 2024 on 1 April 2024.

BAU is a phrase that is used to describe “business as usual”. It is a good barometer of whether anything strange or unusual has occurred or whether things have been BAU.

After a relatively quiet few years through the Covid pandemic, Inland Revenue’s (IR) audit activity has slowly started to increase over the past few years.

With the new Government now firmly settled in, legislation has been passed which reverses the interest deductibility limitation rules that were introduced by the previous government in 2021.

A recent law change has been passed by Parliament impacting charity deregistration tax rules.

When a charity is removed from the Charities Register, they may need to pay de-registration tax.

The Government has chosen to delay the phasing out of the interest limitation rule for residential property investors, as outlined in the coalition agreement between National and Act parties.

The Hon Nicola Willis, Minister of Finance, has recently unveiled proposed amendments to tax legislation aimed at rectifying the over-taxation of low-earning trusts.

In April 2021 the top marginal tax rate was lifted from 33% to 39% for individuals with taxable income over $180,000. More recently the Government has announced that the tax rate for trusts will also go up to 39% from April 2024, and both Labour and National plan to go ahead with this change. This 39% tax rate will apply to all taxable income of the trust.

A standard data policing check completed by Inland Revenue is to review taxpayer GST filing patterns to identify taxpayers that are GST registered, but perhaps shouldn’t be.

The Budget 2023 announced a key change increasing the trustee tax rate from 33% to 39% from the 2024/2025 (generally 1 April 2024). This change is aimed at improving the integrity of the tax system by aligning the trustee tax rate in line with the top personal bracket of 39% which was introduced from 1 April 2021.
 

In the shadow of Cyclone Gabrielle, this year's budget focuses on cost of living and cyclone and flooding recovery, with the sights being shifted and narrowed down on skills, science and infrastructure to help grow the economy and make it more productive and secure.

Calculating Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) on motor vehicles can be complex, due to the various permutations that can exist depending on the use of the vehicle, its type and the approach adopted by the employer. As a result, it is very common for businesses to get the calculation wrong.

On 31 March 2023, Inland Revenue released a draft interpretation statement (PUB00417) addressing the deductibility of land holding costs - namely, interest, rates and insurance - and the relevance of whether the land is taxed on disposal. How will this affect you?