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A tax penalty implemented as part of the company tax rate change is likely to be repealed, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne announced today.

Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee is considering repealing the transitional imputation penalty as part of the Taxation (Livestock Valuation, Assets Expenditure, and Remedial Matters) Bill, Mr Dunne said.

The penalty, which applied as at 31 March 2013, is designed to stop deliberate over-imputing of dividends at 30% (instead of 28%) during the two-year transitional period.

The latest report on international progress in reviewing the taxation of multinationals shows New Zealand is well placed on the issue, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said today.

The Treasury and Inland Revenue officials’ report on the OECD’s base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) work takes stock of New Zealand’s rules and provides an update on its continuing work.

Inland Revenue successfully pursued 1170 cases for just short of $200 million in evaded taxes in the two years to June 2012, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said today.

“I trust these figures will end the bizarre fiction from Labour that the Government is tough on welfare fraud, but soft on tax evasion,” Mr Dunne said.

There are promising indications that fewer people are drinking and younger people are drinking more responsibly, Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said today.

A Ministry of Health survey, undertaken in 2011/12, shows 80% of the population report consuming alcohol, down from 84% in the 2006/07 health survey.

All age groups reported falls in the numbers drinking in the past year, but it was particularly notable in under-age drinkers from 15 to 17 years old.

The purchase and use of kava will be completely unaffected by the Psychoactive Substances Bill currently going through Parliament, confirmed Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne.

The Bill makes a number of exclusions for products already regulated by other pieces of legislation such as alcohol, medicines and tobacco. There is also an exclusion for food.

When used traditionally kava is regulated as a food under the Food Standards Code and the NZ Food (Supplemented Food) Standard 2010 when it is a drink.

Mr Speaker, over the last twenty years, New Zealand and other countries have been facing an acceleration in the development of new recreational drugs.  

Today is the beginning of the end of an unregulated legal highs industry, and young New Zealanders will be the safer for it, Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne said at the first reading of the Psychoactive Substances Bill in Parliament.

“Over the last 20 years, New Zealand and other countries have been facing an acceleration in the development of new recreational drugs, and the situation, as I have said regularly has been one of authorities trying to play catch-up to keep people safe.

Good morning.

Thank you for inviting me to join you once again.

It is a pleasure to be here as I always find your conference programme very informative.

There is a direct link between tax policy and the work that you do and this gives me confidence in the way that we develop tax policy in New Zealand.

The policies that I announce as Minister of Revenue will (all going to plan) in due course become law and people come together here to discuss their implementation.

The Government is seeking public feedback on proposals for Inland Revenue to share some information with other government agencies to help fight serious crime, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne, Justice Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Anne Tolley announced today.

Revenue Minister Peter Dunne today welcomed the passage of the first major reform of the child support regime since it began over 20 years ago, saying the 210,000 New Zealand children dependent on the system would benefit from the updated law.

“The passage of the Child Support Amendment Bill in Parliament this evening is the culmination of work I began six years ago now to review and modernise the operation of the child support system.

A Bill allowing Inland Revenue data-matching with Customs to identify and locate serious student loan defaulters as they return to New Zealand passed its third and final reading in Parliament this afternoon.

The Student Loan Scheme Amendment Bill No. 2 also broadens the definition of income, bringing it into line with the definition used for Working For Families tax credits and other social policy programmes, from 1 April 2014, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said.

Two important changes to increase KiwiSaver contributions take effect from 1 April, which will help to encourage a higher level of private savings among New Zealanders, Finance Minister Bill English and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne say.

From next Monday, the minimum employee contribution rate will rise from 2 per cent to 3 per cent. At the same time, compulsory employer contributions will also rise from 2 per cent to 3 per cent.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure for me to join you today.

I would like to thank the Perinatal Mental Health Trust for the invitation to speak to you about this important area of health care.

But first, I would like to say thank you to Rosie Smith for your warm welcome and I would also like to acknowledge the members of Perinatal Mental Health Trust and the participants attending your workshop.

The Government will not continue with a proposal which would have changed the way some employer-paid carparks in central Auckland and Wellington are treated for tax purposes, Finance Minister Bill English and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne say.

“The proposal was made as a matter of fairness, because in general we consider that cash and non-cash benefits should be taxed the same way,” Mr English says.

With the entire North Island now declared to be in a state of drought by Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne today welcomed Inland Revenue’s decision to further extend its income equalisation discretions to drought-stricken farmers.

“I am pleased that Inland Revenue is helping out in these very difficult circumstances by extending its discretions to all drought-affected farmers,” Mr Dunne said.

Good morning.

It is a great pleasure for me to once again address an IFA conference and to have this opportunity to share my thoughts on taxation issues with you.

This is the eighth time I have had this privilege, and certainly I regard this annual event as an important opportunity to outline the taxation work programme and government thinking for the year ahead and beyond.

And I always look forward to learning about your thoughts.

Good morning.

We in New Zealand, as with many of you, face the challenge of how to respond to the rapid growth in new synthetic drugs.

Drugs such as those listed in the UN drug conventions are scheduled in the New Zealand Misuse of Drugs Act.

This legislation prohibits the importation, manufacture, cultivation, supply and possession of listed drugs and their analogues.

But this legislation, enacted in 1975, was never designed for an environment in which dozens of substances can be brought to market in a matter of weeks.

Mr Chairman and distinguished colleagues.

I thank you for the opportunity to address this 56th meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

I represent the New Zealand delegation in my capacity as Associate Minister of Health and the Minister responsible for alcohol and drugs policy.

I am delighted to return to Vienna and to express New Zealand’s support for the work of the CND and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Good afternoon.

Revenue Minister Peter Dunne today welcomed Inland Revenue’s decision to extend its income equalisation discretions to drought-stricken farmers for the second time in a week.

Last Friday, discretions to help provide tax relief were announced for Northland farmers after Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy had officially declared a state of drought in Northland earlier in the week.

Tena Koutou Tena Koutou Tena Koutou Katoa.

I am delighted to be here with international colleagues who are passionate about delivering excellence in mental health and addiction services.

Firstly, welcome to Pam Hyde from the United States, Louise Bradley from Canada and Eddie Bartnik from Australia and other distinguished participants and contributors to this Network programme.

I understand this is the second time that New Zealand has been honoured to host a Network programme and it is the third time IIMHL participants have been to Australasia.

Revenue Minister Peter Dunne today welcomed Inland Revenue’s decision to exercise its income equalisation discretions to help provide relief for Northland famers hit by the current drought.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy officially declared a state of drought in Northland on Wednesday.

Mr Dunne said that he fully appreciates that farmers will have other more urgent issues on their minds than tax right now.

The Psychoactive Substances Bill introduced to Parliament today will mean legal highs have to be proved safe before they can be sold, Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has announced.

“The Bill will be a complete game-changer in terms of party pills and other legal highs,” Mr Dunne said.

“It is about moving from constantly playing catch-up with this industry on each new product they produce, to reversing the onus of proof – now they will have to prove every product is safe before it goes on sale.

The Child Support Amendment Bill, which proposes major reforms to make the child support system fairer, had its second reading in Parliament today.

Revenue Minister Peter Dunne welcomed the bill’s progress, saying it was another step closer to modernising and improving the child support system for thousands of children and parents.

“There has been huge public interest in the proposed reforms since I first announced a review of the child support scheme and released a government discussion document outlining proposals to improve the scheme.