Want a happier, healthier,more productive workplace in 2012?

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

RWL Chartered Accountants and Toi Te Ora – Public Health Service invite you to a FREE one hour workshop.

If you do just one thing in 2012 to make your business a better workplace, don’t miss this FREE workshop.

Attend this workshop to learn…

• How RWL became the first SME in NZ to achieve accreditation in just 6 short weeks

• How WorkWell has helped our team and business

• Our stumbling blocks along the way

• Why we believe WorkWell can help your business.

The FREE WorkWell programme can…

• Help you to improve wellness in your workplace

• Use WorkWell to improve the health and wellbeing of your workforce and boost

morale, job satisfaction and productivity.

 

Venue: Gen-I building, 36 Kereiti Street, Mount Maunganui

Date & Time: 29th February 2012 at 4.00pm

RSVP: By Friday 24th February 2012 to Mel@rwlgroup.co.nz or by phone: 07 579 5011

Filed Under: News

Invitation regarding ACC and Safety NetWorx Seminars in March

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

http://www.rwlgroup.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/0222-Blog-ACC-Safety-NetWorx-Flyer1.pdf

 “Safety NetWorx” has been formed by a concerned group of Health & Safety professionals to fill a gap in our communities. Our intent is to combine resources, become more efficient, provide relevant and useful information to our communities, contractors and businesses in relation to health, safety and wellbeing. The information is delivered through FREE Safety Seminars and Workshops.

Morning Seminars 9:00am – 12:00pm Conference style 45 minute presentations including questions and answers.

Afternoon Workshops 1:00pm – 4:00pm Choose a workshop you would like to attend

 March 2012 round of Seminars and Workshops include:

Seminars

Kirk Hardy Alcohol & Drugs – NZDDA

Managing Director and co-founder of NZDDA

Kirk has been involved in the implementation and development of drug and alcohol testing

policies throughout NZ’s workplaces covering a wide and varied selection of industry types

from small companies to large corporate clients. Kirk is also a former Detective of Auckland’s Drug Squad was involved in a number of operations

involving in the investigation of national and international drug dealing syndicates and New

Zealand’s organised crime.

Pat Kirk Investigating the causes and not the symptoms!

Pat Kirk’s previous experience as the National health and safety manager for a large multinational, combined with his role as an independent investigator, has meant that he has been involved in many investigations in a wide range of New Zealand industries. Pat’s approach is simple,” focus on the real causes and don’t get side tracked by the symptoms”. Pat aims to highlight some of the common failings and traps that investigators can fall into as well as techniques to help avoid them.

 Miranda Clark Find out how you can save money on your ACC levies and understand what ACC is all about

Miranda Clark is a Relationship Manager-Intermediaries with ACC from Tauranga. She covers the Coromandel, Waihi, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo, Whakatane and Gisborne regions in her role. Miranda has a wide range of knowledge and experience in both ACC Levies, and ACC Case management and Claims. Miranda will provide information on ACC’S insurance products designed for employers and/or self employed or shareholder employees

Topics:

· Levies: What do you pay for

· Discount Schemes: What are they and are you eligible

· Experience rating: What is it and what does it mean for me

· Insurance Products: Which one is right for you

· Claims: Who can claim and an entitlement overview

 Workshops

Kirk Hardy Alcohol & Drugs Manager’s workshop NZDDA

Management /Supervisor Training

NZDDA has developed an exciting and dynamic management/supervisor training package called “How to Manage Drug and Alcohol Risks in the Workplace” At the end of this 4 hour training course the manager/supervisor will be armed with the practical skills and knowledge to confidently deal with issues that arise within the workplace around drug and alcohol use. (Limited seats, must be pre booked. Restricted to Managers /Supervisors & H&S professionals)

Pat Kirk Incident Investigation 101 – Nailing the basics!

Following on from this morning’s presentation Pat will detail the approach you need to adopt when undertaking incident investigations if you want to dig down and identify what really caused the incident. The goal of a good investigation is not only to identify the causes but to also implement effective initiatives which prevent reoccurrence. Unless you do the former, you cannot do the latter, simple as that! The approach and techniques are simple but effective, and no matter what the size of your organisation it will significantly benefit from adopting such an approach in terms of reduced injury, property damage, and financial costs as well as improved operational efficiencies. (Limited seats, must be pre booked)

Greg Gillard Are you getting the highest discount on your ACC Levies?

Pat Heydon There are a number of ways to gain a discount on your ACC levies, they include the

Work Place Safety Management (WSMP) programme where a 10%, 15% or 20% discount is possible.

The workshop is aimed at businesses who have 10 or more employees.

This workshop is for companies who are considering entering the programme and/or those companies already in the programme but would like to gain the next level in accreditation.

Experienced health and safety consultants and auditors who will provide guidance and in-depth knowledge about the programme to help you add value to your business.

Please email your registration to SafetyCulture@acc.co.nz & include your choice of workshop.

Venues

27 March Taupo Owen Delaney Park (Grandstand Club Rooms)

28 March Rotorua Rotorua District Council

29 March Tauranga Tauranga Yacht & Power Boat Club

30 March Gisborne The Gisborne Hotel, Cnr Tyndall & Huxley Roads

 

Filed Under: ACC, Business Advisory, News

A year in New Zealand business resilience

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 Whichever of the following is the larger becomes the rate of the weekly holiday pay:

  1.  ‘Average weekly earnings’: Calculate ‘total gross earnings’ for the 12 months before the end of the last pay period before the annual holiday and divide this figure by 52.
  2. ‘Ordinary weekly pay’: Multiply the ordinary hourly rate of the employee’s pay as at the start of the holiday by the number of hours worked in a ‘normal’ week.

Calculating pay for statutory (public) holidays

  1. ‘Relevant daily pay’: Find the amount of pay that the employee would have received if he or she had worked on the day concerned.
  2. ‘Average daily pay’ is used when using relevant daily pay is not possible or practicable or there is variation in the daily pay during the pay period when the holiday occurs.  Calculate gross earnings for the 52 weeks before the end of the immediately preceding pay period and divide by the number of whole or part days during which the employee earned those earnings including days of paid holiday or leave.

In the case of employees who have commenced employment during the year, their average weekly earnings are calculated by taking the amount of their gross earnings from starting work until the last pay period before the holiday and dividing that amount by the number of weeks worked.  For examples on holiday pay please visit the Department of Labour’s website:  http://www.dol.govt.nz/

 Pay calculations can be complex especially when employees receive allowances, (e.g. travel) and have deductions made (e.g. KiwiSaver, student loan) so contact us if you need assistance in getting these important calculations right.

 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – Let us know what you think!!

 Talk to you soon   Rachel Wilson

Filed Under: Business Advisory, People Issues, Tax Issues

Book out your bach: avoid the tax headache

February 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Book out your bach: avoid the tax headache

Recent years have seen a surge in popularity in the short-stay rental of holiday homes.  The internet has made it easier to list, book and review baches and cribs which are available when owners aren’t in residence.

 Inland Revenue have recently issued a paper proposing new rules on mixed-use assets (including holiday homes) where there is a mixture of business and personal use, with revised criteria that should be adhered to when booking out the bach.  But until the rules are formally changed, the current policies still apply.

 Firstly, it’s vital that your intentions are bona fide.  You must market the holiday home in a commercial manner such as setting up and using a website for the property, registering the property with a reputable holiday home website or listing the property for short stay rental with local real estate agencies.  These efforts cannot be seen to be ‘token’, you should be accepting offers from suitable renters.

 Secondly, your own (plus family and friends’) use of the property must be

diarised so you can determine the days in a year that the property was available for renting out.

If the property is owned by an individual or a family trust the expenses relating to the property including the utilities (power, rates, insurance), maintenance and interest on debt will be apportioned according to the number of days in a year the house was available for rent.

There are GST issues too.  Short stay accommodation is a taxable supply for GST purposes so if the annual rent you are receiving exceeds $60,000, the owning entity (individual, partnership, company or trust) is required to register for GST and return GST on the outputs (rent) and inputs (expenses and improvements) made and received.

This threshold may seem high but some do have more than one holiday home in the same entity! 

 This threshold includes the market value of free or cheap use of the bach by persons associated to the owner.

The value of the property becomes a taxable supply when registration occurs and when the property is sold or the entity de-registered.  Both the income tax and GST issues can be quite tricky so we recommend consulting us to make sure all the tax bases are covered correctly.

 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – Let us know what you think!!

 Next Blog: A year in New Zealand business resilience

 Talk to you soon   Rachel Wilson

Filed Under: News, Tax Issues

Tax Talk – Let us entertain you!

February 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Let us entertain you

Let’s look at the tax treatment of saying thanks to customers and staff typically with gifts, wining and dining. 

Inland Revenue’s IR268 guide gives the following examples of where entertainment expenses are 50% deductible:

  • Taking customers, suppliers and business associates out for dinner or putting on a function for them
  • The traditional Christmas party for staff
  • Shouting customers, suppliers and staff to an event, e.g. a rugby game or a show
  • Taking them on a jaunt in your launch (running/hireage costs and food and alcohol)
  • Giving them the use of your bach or time share apartment as a thank you gesture (the occupancy costs)

We’ve been asked ‘why only 50% deductible?’  Apparently it’s because we get some personal enjoyment or benefit from quaffing a wine and tucking into a steak (too right!).

In lieu of a Christmas party you may give your employees restaurant vouchers to use at their discretion.  This cost is fully deductible but is subject to fringe benefit tax (FBT), although there is an exemption of $300 per employee per quarter (a maximum exemption can apply).

The same treatment applies to staff gifts, again fully deductible but subject to FBT under the ‘other benefits’ category.

As a thank you gesture many firms give their customers gifts during the festive season.  The cost of the gifts is fully tax deductible as marketing and promotion expenditure.

 Many firms pay their staff a Christmas cash bonus.  These payments are classed as ‘extra emoluments’ and are fully deductible but have PAYE deducted at the employee’s marginal tax rate e.g. 33% if earning over $70,000 per annum.

If in doubt about where you stand tax deductibility-wise with your generosity to customers and staff, check with us and we’ll help you get it right.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – Let us know what you think!!

 Next Blog: Book out your bach: avoid the tax headache

Filed Under: News, Tax Issues

Tax Evasion

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Kiwifruit labour contractor jailed – article by Sunlive

 An agricultural contractor is facing 12 months in prison after he was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on Tuesday for tax evasion to the tune of $55,000.

Adrian Ace, whose company Pride Contracting Limited provided labour for the kiwifruit industry, had earlier been found guilty of 28 charges of failing to account for PAYE and three charges of evading GST.

 The outstanding amount was just under $55,000 and it was for this that he was prosecuted under the Tax Administration Act 1994.

The Inland Revenue Department’s investigations manager, assurance, Jonathan Matthews, says the business was registered for income tax, GST and PAYE in April 2004, however, the company either filed its returns late or had payments dishonoured.  

“In August 2005, Inland Revenue entered into a repayment agreement with Mr Ace to try and help him repay his debts, which had reached just over $21,000 at that stage,” says Jonathan.

“The defendant made six repayments of $1800, but stopped making payments in March 2006.

“Our investigation also showed that no PAYE payments were made between July 2006 and December 2007 and the company stopped filing its GST returns after March 2007.”

In an interview in 2009, Ace admitted receiving statements from the IRD, but that he disregarded them.

“Mr Ace admitted that he used the PAYE deducted from his workers to pay for rent and petrol and the GST that was collected was used to pay wages.

“Mr Ace also used his business’ bank account for personal expenditure including rent, groceries and recreational activities,” says Jonathan.

“Mr Ace claimed that he was advised that the 15 per cent withholding tax that was deducted by the orchardists who employed his services covered his tax liabilities.

“This advice was incorrect as it was his responsibility to know what his obligations were and to have met them.

Jonathan says if people are unsure of their correct tax requirements, then they should contact their tax agent or talk to Inland Revenue directly.

 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – Let us know what you think!!

 Talk to you soon   Rachel Wilson

Filed Under: Business Advisory, Tax Issues

UK Foreign Pension

February 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

UK Foreign Pension Transfers to New Zealand

 On 6 April 2006, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the United Kingdomintroduced the Qualifying Recognized Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS). This is a scheme that allows transfers of UKpension funds to overseas providers that meet certain requirements, to be free of UK tax. In certain circumstances (see below) this transfer will also not be required to be included on your NZ tax return and therefore free of NZ tax.

 Temporary tax exemption on foreign income for new migrants and returning New Zealanders: From 1 April 2006, people becoming tax residents in New Zealand may qualify for a temporary tax exemption on some of their foreign income, which currently includes foreign pensions. This temporary tax exemption is available to those who qualify as a tax resident in New Zealand on or after 1 April 2006 and are new migrants or returning New Zealanders (transitional residents) who have not been resident for tax purposes in New Zealand for at least 10 years prior to their arrival in New Zealand.

 The exemption can only be granted once in a lifetime and you or your partner cannot receive Working For Families Tax Credits as well as the tax exemption for foreign income.

 If you are not eligible for this temporary tax exemption or the transfer is made after you have been in NZ for four years then any pensions transferred or those still left in the UK could become taxable under the NZ Foreign Investment Funds Regime (FIF), which may mean that you end up having to pay tax on the growth of your UK pension fund, even though you are not in the UK. The FIF regime is quite a complex regime with a number of different valuation methods and to get the correct figures for the calculations can in some circumstances be quite difficult.

 We have also recently received notification that the IRD are reviewing the FIF regime in respect of pension transfers and that a number of specialist pension transfer companies are actually providing incorrect advice over whether the pensions transfers are taxable in NZ.

 The HMRC in theUKare also currently in the process of reviewing the whole QROPS regime as they have concerns about potential abuse of the current system.

 So as you can see this is a very complex area and we highly recommend that you seek advice from our UKpension transfers specialist Jenny Marklew, RWL Chartered Accountants senior accountant regarding your individual tax affairs before you make any decisions in respect of yourUK pensions.

 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – Let us know what you think!!

 Next Blog: Tax Evasion

 Talk to you soon   Rachel Wilson

Filed Under: News, People Issues, Tax Issues

IRD e-mail Scam

February 9, 2012 By 2 Comments

Please be advised if you receive any such emails from the Inland Revenue Department like the example below please report it as it is either spam or a scam.  Forward your email directly to this address phishing@ird.govt.nz

Dear customer,

 We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your fiscal activity ( 7 Feb 2012 ) we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of NZD 154.90  under section 291 (c) (9) of the Inland Revenue Code.Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-5 days in order to process it.

 To get your refund, please access the Inland Revenue e-file form go to :

http://www.ird.govt.nz/ Inland Revenue e-file form

 *Note: For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time. Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicted.

*Note: Because this letter could help resolve any questions regarding your exempt status, you should keep it in your permanent records.

 Tracy Godfrey

 Director, Tax Refunds Dept.

 Copyright 2012 Inland Revenue

 As IRD do not generate this e-mail they are unable to stop it but do their best to track and shut down the server.  Unfortunately it’s harder to track those behind the server and they start up new ones to continue issuing the scam e-mails.

 So even if you think IRD already know, please keep sending through examples to the above address.  IRD are shutting down the servers when they track them but unfortunately those scammers then seem to open up new servers.  So like I say – keep sending them through.  

 If you have accessed the scam site and provided any IRD details please let IRD know your IRD Number urgently so they can monitor your account.  IRD are particularly interested in being copied in on any that reflect exactly the amount of a known refund.  If you have provided any bank account details please contact your bank urgently.

 More information is available on their website http://www.ird.govt.nz/news-updates/like-to-know-phishing-attempts.html

Additionally, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Scamwatch website has the latest on scams.  Remember, forewarned is forearmed.

http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/news-1/word-of-advice/2010/a-word-of-advice-1

Filed Under: News

TMBA NZ Maori Tourism Event

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 6.30pm, Thursday, 2nd February, 2011

 Waverly Room – Waimarino, 36 Taniwha Place, Bethlehem

You are warmly welcomed to attend this event which has a Tourism Theme and is being sponsored by NZ Maori Tourism.

Special guest speakers are as follows:

Butch Bradley: Director of Operations for NZMT – National Overview

Glenn Ormsby: Tourism BOP General Manager – Local Overview

Wetini Mitai: Venue Operator

Drinks & nibbles will be supplied

Attendance is free of charge

Please RSVP your attendance to: info@tmba.co.nz

Many Thanks to our Sponsors for this event:

New Zealand Maori Tourism & ASB

 

Filed Under: News

Beware of Phishing – Don’t get Hooked!

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Be very careful about giving out your IRD number and any other personal details.

The IRD are aware emails can circulate which attempt to trick recipients into divulging personal information. These emails are known as phishing emails. For example, an email may claim to come from Inland Revenue or a Tax Refund Agency asking you to click on a link that takes you to a fake website.

Do not click a link, or reply to an email, fitting this description. Inland Revenue will not send you a hyperlink in an email. Delete the email from your Inbox and Trash folders.

Click here for more information on identifying phishing emails.

Filed Under: News, Tax Issues
« Older Posts