Working Party on the Reorganisation of the Income Tax Act 1976
Encyclopedia
The Working Party on the Reorganisation of the Income Tax Act 1976 was a committee appointed by the New Zealand
government to advise on the appropriate reorganisation of the income tax
legislation. The Working Party was set up in 1993 as a result of recommendations made by the Valabh Committee
set up to review the overall income tax system. The Working Party comprised Arthur Valabh (Chair), Dame Margaret Bazley
, and Sir Kenneth Keith
.
The Working Party issued two reports on the reorganisation of the then Income Tax Act 1976 . Following on from these reports the government in 1995 established a review process for rewriting the income tax legislation, overseen by an advisory panel drawn from the private and public sectors.
The Income Tax Act has since been largely rewritten in a plain English style with a radically re-organised structure, including a unique (for New Zealand) alpha-numeric section referencing system (as opposed to the more usual numeric system. It was re-enacted as the Income Tax Act 1994 and again as the Income Tax Act 2007 as the various parts of the legislation was progressively rewritten.
The Rewrite Advisory Panel was established initially to oversee the rewrite process, but from 2004 it has also been tasked with determining whether there are errors (or "unintended legislative changes") in the rewriting of the Income Tax Acts. The Panel was chaired by Colin Blair (until 2003), Sir Ivor Richardson
(2003-08) and the current Chair is David McLay.
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 to advise on the appropriate reorganisation of the income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
legislation. The Working Party was set up in 1993 as a result of recommendations made by the Valabh Committee
Valabh Committee
The Valabh Committee, named after its Chair Arthur Valabh, was a New Zealand government appointed committee tasked with reviewing various aspects of the income tax system in the late 1980s and early 1990s....
set up to review the overall income tax system. The Working Party comprised Arthur Valabh (Chair), Dame Margaret Bazley
Margaret Bazley
Dame Margaret Bazley DNZM is a distinguished New Zealand public servant.-Career:Bazley commenced her career as a nurse, rising from a position as a charge nurse at Tokanui Hospital, Te Awamutu in 1961 to Director, division of nursing, Department of Health in 1978, a position she held until 1984.In...
, and Sir Kenneth Keith
Kenneth Keith
Sir Kenneth James Keith, ONZ, KBE, QC is a New Zealand judge appointed to the International Court of Justice in November 2005....
.
The Working Party issued two reports on the reorganisation of the then Income Tax Act 1976 . Following on from these reports the government in 1995 established a review process for rewriting the income tax legislation, overseen by an advisory panel drawn from the private and public sectors.
The Income Tax Act has since been largely rewritten in a plain English style with a radically re-organised structure, including a unique (for New Zealand) alpha-numeric section referencing system (as opposed to the more usual numeric system. It was re-enacted as the Income Tax Act 1994 and again as the Income Tax Act 2007 as the various parts of the legislation was progressively rewritten.
The Rewrite Advisory Panel was established initially to oversee the rewrite process, but from 2004 it has also been tasked with determining whether there are errors (or "unintended legislative changes") in the rewriting of the Income Tax Acts. The Panel was chaired by Colin Blair (until 2003), Sir Ivor Richardson
Ivor Richardson
Sir Ivor Lloyd Morgan Richardson, PCNZM is an eminent New Zealand and Commonwealth jurist and legal writer and a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.-Education:...
(2003-08) and the current Chair is David McLay.