Industry Partnership: Why paying tax matters
Why paying tax matters
Inland Revenue collects taxes on behalf of the government.
Your taxes help pay for the things that make New Zealanders who they are - by funding agencies like Creative NZ and NZ on Air, which pay for NZ music videos, bands and theatre.
They also pay for
- education
- medical and hospital services
- public roads
- police, the courts and justice systems, the defence force
- sickness and unemployment benefits.
Allocated government spending for the 2008/2009 year
Other social security and welfare includes the accommodation supplement and the domestic purposes, unemployment, sickness and invalids benefits. (Source NZ Treasury)
If people don't pay their fair share, everyone misses out.
- Essential government services could be underfunded.
- Honest taxpayers may have to pay more.
- There could be unfair competition within industries.
- A person who doesn't issue invoices may find other businesses refuse to trade with them and their customers may have no come back for shoddy work.
- A person who doesn't declare all their income may find it difficult to raise finance, sell their business for its true value, or get full accident compensation entitlements.
We work with people, their families, businesses and industries to inform them about their entitlements or the taxes they need to pay.
We will take a firm approach with those who deliberately flout the law in fairness to the majority of taxpayers who do the right thing in fully meeting their tax obligations.
If you have any queries about your tax please call us on the numbers listed under Contact us, see right hand navigation.
Date published: 01 Sep 2008
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