I'm seething about these tax changes. And it’s not just the fact that Labour lied to us; it’s the whole bigger picture and the implications for ordinary New Zealanders. This Government is attacking middle New Zealand with all these housing initiatives and tax reforms – it’s mums and dads being hit, not property oligarchs. According to February 2021 stats from ... More 

This blog is a follow-up on my October blog about the new top individual tax rate. On 7 December 2020, the Labour Government passed legislation to implement the higher individual tax bracket of 39% for income over $180,000. This comes into effect in 2021/2022 income year (which is 1 April 2021 for most people). As noted in October, this new tax ... 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 

From time to time clients contact us to ask what their employees are entitled to with regard to annual leave and sick leave.  This is obviously an important thing to get right, for both employers and their staff. The Labour Party made a promise before the recent election to modify sick leave if they remained in power. Now we have ... More 

Following the latest changes in alert levels in Auckland and across the country, there are now new government support packages available. These are on top of the support that is already in place such as the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme and Small Business Cash Flow Loan Scheme.Wages SubsidyThe wages subsidy is back again in a similar format to the ... 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 

Back in May I wrote that the Reserve Bank had removed the loan-to-value restrictions, which they stated would be for a 12-month period. At the time, this made sense with Government, Treasury and most economists' predictions being in line with double digit decreases in house prices due to the Covid pandemic.The expectation was that the removal of the restrictions ... 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