Inland Revenue previously known as the Inland Revenue Department, is the New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 government department responsible for the collection of over 80% of the Crown's revenue in New Zealand. It also collects and disburses social support programme payments and provides the government with policy advice. As well as collecting tax

Tax

To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...

es, Inland Revenue administers Working for Families

Working for Families

In 2004 the New Zealand Labour government introduced the Working for Families package as part of the 2004 budget. The package, which effectively commenced operating on 1 April 2005, had three primary aims: to make work pay; to ensure income adequacy; and to support people "into work".The main...

 tax credits, payment of Paid Parental Leave, collection and payment of child support

Child support

In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...

 collection of Student Loan

Student loans in New Zealand

New Zealand provides student loans and allowances to tertiary students who satisfy the funding criteria. Full-time students can claim loans for both fees and living costs while part-time students can only claim training institution fees....

 debt, and KiwiSaver

KiwiSaver

The KiwiSaver scheme is a New Zealand voluntary long-term savings scheme which came into operation from Monday, 2 July 2007. The main purpose of the KiwiSaver fund is for retirement savings....

.

Inland Revenue is part of the portfolio of the Minister of Revenue Hon Peter Dunne

Peter Dunne

Peter Dunne is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament who leads the United Future political party. He has served as a Cabinet minister in governments dominated by the centre-left Labour Party as well as by the centre-right National Party...

.

Inland Revenue employs over 5,500 full time equivalent staff in 17 cities across New Zealand.

History

Inland Revenue started out as the Land Tax Department in 1878. The department was renamed the Land and Income Tax Department in 1892 with the central office set up in Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

.

It wasn't until 1952, when the organisation joined with the Stamp Duties Department, that the organisation came to be known as the Inland Revenue Department.

Acts and Regulations administered

Inland Revenue administers several Acts including the Tax Administration Act 1994, the Income Tax Act 2007, the Child Support Act 1991

Child Support Act 1991 (New Zealand)

The Child Support Act is an Act of the Parliament of New Zealand that was passed in 1991.It was passed to reform the legislation around domestic maintenance payments that, at the time, was perceived as being ineffective....

, and many regulations.

The major pieces of legislation administered by Inland Revenue are:

• Child Support Act 1991;
• Estate and Gift Duties Act 1968;
• Gaming Duties Act 1971;
• Goods and Services Tax Act 1985
  Goods and Services Tax (New Zealand)
  Goods and Services Tax is a value added tax introduced in New Zealand on 1 October 1986 at 10%. It later increased to 12.5% on 1 July 1989 and was further increased to 15% on 1 October 2010....
  
  ;
• Income Tax Act 2007;
• Stamp and Cheque Duties Act 1971;
• Student Loan Scheme Act 1992;
• Tax Administration Act 1994;
• Taxation Review Authorities Act 1994;
• Unclaimed Money Act 1971;
• parts of the KiwiSaver Act 2006;
• parts of the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Paid Parental Leave) Act 1987.

Performance 2010-2011

Inland Revenue collects over 80% of core Crown revenue.

In the year ended 30 June 2011, Inland Revenue:

• collected $46.8 billion in tax;
• answered 5.47 million customer contacts;
• collected $1,566 million in overdue debt;
• identified $1,450 million in discrepancies through audit activity;
• distributed $2,911 million in KiwiSaver funds to scheme providers;
• distributed $2,746 million in Working for Families Tax Credits;
• distributed $412 million in child support payments;
• received $691 million in student loan repayments.

External links

• Policy Advice Division of Inland Revenue
• What's Tax? - New Zealand government website on tax