Property Accountants

One 14 March 2024, the government released draft legislation coming good on its promise to reduce the bright-line period to two years and repeal the interest limitation rules. The highlights are as follows:Bright-lineA two-year bright-line period will apply to all property where sale occurs on or after 1 July 2024.  The date that you enter into the agreement to ... Continue reading 

There always seem to be people with a complete lack of integrity trying to scam the rest of us out of our hard-earned money or steal our private information (like passwords). Below is a copy of the latest scam I received. The email appears to be from the IRD, and of course has a “Login” link they are trying to ... Continue reading 

Background   Over 80% of start-up businesses fail in the first five years. One of the tasks accountants in public practice deal with is assisting clients when this occurs. Liquidation is the insolvency process related to companies and formally deals with those going through this stressful process. Liquidators are appointed and take control of the company and, if appropriate, ... Continue reading 

Almost a year to the day since the Government announced rules to eliminate tax deductions on interest for property investors, the legislation has all but reached its final destination. In the last two weeks the Select Committee report on the first draft of the legislation has been released and amendments have been made to the first draft reflecting these ... Continue reading 

In January, GRA’s Professional Trustee team wrote a blog on the new requirements trusts must meet when filing their tax returns. In this article, I go into a little more detail about the financial information that must be disclosed to the IRD.But first, why have these new rules been introduced at all? The main reason is because of the new ... Continue reading 

If you have to travel overseas for business (given you can do so now with the borders finally open), the question of tax deductibility of travel expenses will arise: which expenses can you claim, if any? It is important to understand the purpose of the trip in order to decide how the treatment of these expenses will be applied. In ... 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 

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 an ... Continue reading 

The next few months could see a shock to some Kiwi households’ budgets, as around 60% of existing mortgages are having their fixed rates expire within 12 months. Interest rate increasesThis time last year, a large number of borrowers were fixing on the 12-month rate because this had proven to be the way to go over a cycle where interest ... Continue reading 

No matter what business you are in (property investment, self-employed, salaried, or retired), health insurance should be part of your risk mitigation strategy. Consider this question: How much would you pay to live for an extra year? If you are diagnosed with serious illness, the right health insurance that gives you access to the best treatments can make a ... Continue reading