With New Zealand’s borders being closed, and likely to be closed for some time, a number of clients who have rented properties on a short-term basis (e.g. via Airbnb) are converting those properties to long-term residential tenancies. This raises the question – what are the tax implications?  Income taxWhether a property is rented out on a short or long-term ... More 

With the Labour Party winning the 2020 election, they now are expected to implement their proposed higher individual tax bracket of 39% for income over $180k. This is anticipated to come into effect in 2021/2022 income year. This imminent change makes it an opportune time to ensure your affairs are structured in the best possible way for both asset protection and ... More 

In this blog I share my current property investing strategy (as at August 2020), because there is a window of opportunity for investors that is likely to close soon. I outline the main points below. Finance At present, some banks are lending 80% on investment properties, which is good news for investors. At the same time, however, the banks are getting ... More 

Hopefully the “post-Covid” reference in the title is not tempting fate, but at the time of writing New Zealand appears to be in an enviable position in terms of control of the public health side of the Covid pandemic. However, battling through the economic fallout is going to be just as challenging. All readers will be aware of the government ... More 

Last week the Government introduced the Covid-19 Response (Taxation and Other Regulatory Urgent Measures) Bill. This bill contains a number of provisions, including the introduction of a loss carry-back scheme whereby a business can carry a loss back to a prior period to offset the prior period’s profits. Thus the business can get a refund of the tax paid ... More 

Motor vehicle expenses are a common type of expense incurred across a wide range of businesses. It makes sense to claim vehicle expenses when preparing your tax return, but you need to ensure this is done accurately. In the modern world, the same vehicle is often used privately in our everyday lives as well as for business, which can make ... More 

30 July 2019 was an important milestone in the land of trusts.  That was the date the Trust Act 2019 became law in New Zealand.  One of the objectives of this new law is to provide for greater transparency and accountability by trustees to beneficiaries. This objective is underpinned by trustee duties now being codified. Whilst it may seem ... More 

In big news for property investors, on 30 April 2020 the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) confirmed that they were removing the loan-to-value restrictions that had been in place in one form or another since October 2013. Back then, the RBNZ decided to introduce different tools rather than just using interest rates (through the official cash rate) to have some control over ... More 

"Should I sell, or should I wait till the property is worth more?" "I really wanted $20k more. Should I accept this final offer?" "I'd lose $20k on my trade if I sell for that, what should I do?" These are questions that investors, homeowners and traders are faced with at times, especially when the market is on the decline or ... More