Our Blog

The only thing for certain in business is change.  Indeed, change is constant, often due or at least commenced, by evolving political, legislative, economic policies.  With change comes business risk. Given change is a certainty, planning for it makes sense because this reduces business risk.  To assist with this, we share below some tips we […]

In a bid to drive economic productivity and growth, the National Government has introduced the investment boost initiative. At a micro level, this tax incentive provides businesses with additional funds in the form of tax savings, hopefully resulting in companies becoming more competitive. Under this new scheme, from 22 May 2025, businesses are able to claim 20% […]

As a business owner, do you ever feel you are on a hamster wheel, constantly running, but failing to make progress?  Sometimes this is caused by working in your business as opposed to on your business. You might think this is semantics, but experience has shown that those that appreciate the difference are more likely to […]

Most employers would not be averse to helping their employees save on the tax they pay, especially if in doing so it was relatively cost neutral to their businesses. This is exactly what the recently introduced salary sacrifice public transport allowance permits. Giving Up Income To Get A Benefit Under this remit, employees voluntarily give up […]

New Zealanders who read the news are acutely aware our population is growing older.  We’re living longer too and having fewer babies.  These facts mean New Zealand superannuation costs have increased and are likely to continue to do so.  This raises the question of whether superannuation payments will be available to those who retire in […]

You’d be living under a rock if you didn’t know interest rates have been steadily declining.  This is due in part to the official cash rate (OCR) decreasing over the last 11 months.  Depending on what camp you sit in you'll either be pleased or disappointed with the lower rates.  Borrowers who've recently borrowed will […]

New Zealand is one of the few countries where a comprehensive capital gains tax system doesn't exist.  That said, there are a range of rules on our statute books that do tax land sales.  Probably, the most commonly known test is what’s referred to as the the ‘bright-line test’. This is interesting, because despite being widely […]

OCR AND INTEREST RATES. If you’ve been living in New Zealand for the past couple of years, you’ll know we’ve been at war with the inflation beast.  This has affected the cost of doing business and the cost of living.  Ultimately, the effect of high inflation is businesses paying more for the inputs they need […]

If you’ve read our last article on the OCR and interest rates, you’ll know when the Reserve Bank reduces the OCR, the wholesale rates banks borrow money from the Central Bank falls.  This can result in our registered banks reducing their short-term interest and deposit rates. POSSIBLE EFFECTS Debt to Income (DTI) rules became operational […]

It’s fair to say 2024 was a hard year for many businesses as they attempted to cope with choppy economic weather.  Turnovers flatlined, overheads climbed, margins were squeezed and net profits declined.  Glimmers of sunshine are lining our horizon however, brought about in part by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand reducing the OCR.  This […]

SELLING YOUR BUSINESS FOR WHAT ITS TRULY WORTH. In every successful business owner’s life, the day dawns when they want or need to transition out of their business.  Maybe they’d like to work less and hand over their business to someone else.  Maybe they want to sell and sit back enjoying their retirement.   Whatever the […]

Up until 31 March 2024, those people that used Uber and Air BnB platforms had an obligation to comply with the Goods and Services Act.  Despite this, many people didn’t pay GST on the income earned from the likes of their driving activities or from letting out their properties.  Non-compliance occurred for a variety of […]