Inland Revenue (IRD) is contacting investors to correct their tax rate after an estimated $42 million was overpaid by around 950,000 New Zealanders in the 2019 tax year.
IRD said that 1.5 million New Zealand investors, including KiwiSavers, were on the incorrect prescribed tax rate (PIR). Around 550,000 of those have underpaid their investments, according to IR, with an average of $80-$90 owing in tax. However, almost double that number have overpaid by an average of $44 per person. Inland Revenue deputy commissioner Sharon Thompson said current legislation does not allow for a refund of overpayment. Ms Thompson said trying to go back over past years and determine incorrect payments based on wrong PIRs would have required significant work not just for Inland Revenue but for individual taxpayers and financial institutions. "For the 2019 tax year, an estimated $42 million was overpaid. Current estimates show between $45 and $50 million of investment tax was underpaid, and that will be recovered," she said. "But these figures are changing as IR's new system continues to receive information." Ms Thompson said IRD will be getting in contact with investors to correct the error. "From mid-July 2019, we'll begin proactively contacting customers who are on an incorrect PIR to let them know they need to change it to avoid paying too little or too much tax in the future. They can then contact their investment provider to change their rate."And in the future, we'll contact customers during the year if we identify they are using an incorrect PIR. This will be an on-going process to ensure that customers can get things right from the start."
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Scam Alert: Bank cold calls
ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.
🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.
Remember, banks will:
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.
If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.5% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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