Property Accountants

I thought Paul Henry’s speech at the Act Party’s annual Change Makers event was funny, onpoint, and worth sharing. Enjoy.Continue reading 

It would be fair to say that everyone wants to pay as little tax as they are legally required to, and everyone wants to protect the assets they have worked so hard to attain (e.g. family home, savings). So how do you do this? Should you set up a company? A trust? Both? Neither? The answer is asset planning, ... Continue reading 

Property investment has long been a tried and tested means of building wealth for retirement. Even in the current environment (with tax rules targeting property investment, tough borrowing criteria, rising interest rates, and a property market that is cooling in many areas), knowledgeable investors are making money out of property by adapting their strategies to the market conditions. A ... Continue reading 

Prior to the inception of the bright-line rule, it was relatively common practice to restructure the ownership of residential property to get better asset protection, estate planning and tax outcomes, or when circumstances changed. For example, you might convert an existing home to being a rental, or own a holiday home personally that you want to be protected in ... Continue reading 

The IRD have recently announced ways in which they can provide some relief for those hit by the recent adverse weather events. Although these measures are not new, it is useful to know about them and to be aware the IRD will actively consider application to those affected.Removing Penalties and InterestThe IRD charges penalties on late filing and late ... Continue reading 

As you are probably already aware, trusts now have more reporting requirements with the IRD. However, in some circumstances, trusts, especially family trusts, may have been made non-active with the IRD, which means there is no income to report (and no tax to pay). Although a trust may not generate any income, and therefore may not be required to file ... Continue reading 

It’s that time of year when businesses look to reward their staff and clients by hosting Christmas parties, giving gifts, and paying bonuses.Some of these costs may be fully deductible, some may be 50% tax deductible, and others subject to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) or PAYE deductions. To help your business stay on the right side of the Christmas ... Continue reading 

As property tax and structuring specialists, one of the most common questions we encounter at GRA is whether to set up a look-through company (LTC) to hold investment property. The answer, more often than not, has shifted over the years to no. LTCs, once considered a go-to option for property investors, have seen their appeal diminish significantly in recent years. ... Continue reading 

Filing tax returns for trusts is becoming more complicated, and trustees need to be aware of this. From the 2022 financial year onwards (i.e. year ending 31 March 2022), additional information must be included in a trust’s tax returns.  None of this is particularly difficult, but gathering the information the IRD requires is going to be more time consuming than ... Continue reading 

If you're a New Zealand resident looking to invest in residential property, now may be the perfect time to do so. Several key factors are converging to create a favourable environment for property investment, including dropping inflation rates, mortgage interest rates looking to have peaked, predicted reductions in the Official Cash Rate potentially coming later this year, and loan-to-value ... Continue reading 

I recently held a webinar which explains how to integrate life insurance with your financial goals – something that should be of interest to property investors, businessowners, salaried people, and the self-employed. You may now be thinking: How can life insurance assist with financial goals? In this presentation I demonstrate how the two can work together in a way ... Continue reading