Suddenly from nowhere this tax return falls in my lap

[Conquiztador]

True! In the past one had to fill in a Tax Return every year. Then they took that away and only if you thought that you were owed tax (or if you felt you wanted to pay additional tax...yeah right) was there a need to fill in the forms and send them in.

Now suddenly something new has happened: I had on Saturday a tax calculation including all that IRD knew about me and my incomes/tax payments dropped in to my letter box. There was 3 pages of calculations and at the end it stated that I was to get $$'s back! The only thing I had to do was to ring this number where a computer with a sexy voice held a converstaion with me and thanked me for my call!! Today 4 days later the money is in my account!!

What is happening in this country? IRD is contacting us and telling us that they owe us money, the government is making sure we get $2 additional dollars for each dollar we save for our retirement, we can stay home after the birth of our kids and get paid to do it, there is almost no un-employment, if a couple with kids do their sums correctly they have more $$'s/week if only one works compared to if both work fulltime, you can put the kids in childcare 20 hours free each week, the cost to go to the doctor has almost halved (and kids under 6 are free), student loans have no interest on them as long as you stay in NZ etc.

It is almost to good to be true. Now if everyone gets a doz of beer free a week, aviation fuel becomes available at petrol stations and cars are banned I know I am dreaming...

[xwhatsit]

Hahaha yeah. You KB lot bitch and moan about things (probably the high proportion of Pommy-gits) but we've got it pretty sweet here

Plus, once I'm out of uni my career path suffers none of that low-wage bullshit the rest of you Kiwis have to suffer. Suckers!

[SARGE]

its an election year man .. youll start noticing some other changes too...


election year and non election year photos below ...

[BigG]

I just had them send me a overdue payment for a couple of grand, there cock up, so that sweet little voice tells me I have to write into themn explaining what has happened, its there cock up they should fix it. wish they would give me some money back.

[JimO]

i got a grand back but i let them keep it because they were going to get it and more a few weeks later and my wife gets $5500

[judecatmad]

the government is making sure we get $2 additional dollars for each dollar we save for our retirement, we can stay home after the birth of our kids and get paid to do it, there is almost no un-employment, if a couple with kids do their sums correctly they have more $$'s/week if only one works compared to if both work fulltime, you can put the kids in childcare 20 hours free each week, the cost to go to the doctor has almost halved (and kids under 6 are free), student loans have no interest on them as long as you stay in NZ etc.

Sorry to burst the happy little bubble here but just a few additions to the above:

- your kiwisaver contributions are taxed before they are taken out of your income. And when you look at the spiralling interest rates at the mo, not many people are confident in having enough spare to be able to put the extra aside. They're not 'giving back' anything they've not already taken from you elsewhere
- the payment the govt gives you for 14 weeks after the birth of your child is as good as a slap in the face with a wet fish by the time they've taken tax off it (if you're a high earner you're still taxed at your 39% even tho you won't be on enough while you're off to be taxed at 39% - saying you can claim it back at the end of your maternity leave is no help when you're struggling to afford the mortgage and groceries right there and then)
-the 20 hours 'free' is bollocks. Yes, free for 3 and 4 year olds, but who is paying for that free time? The parents of the 0-2's with higher fees than before the 'free' care came in, and the parents of 3 and 4 year olds who need more than 20 hours with 'optional' top-up fees
- no idea where you get the 'if a couple with kids does their sums right they can have more income blah de blah' - working for families only applies if you're low earners or have lots of kids. For middle and high income NZers who are struggling to pay their mortgage and have finally given in to the biological urge to procreate, the amount they will get back if one parent doesn't work is an insult (for us it would be $17 a week). As with everything in this country - those paying the most tax get the least back and we keep those who have never worked or who have never thought to better themselves in live in a pretty good income
- not all kids under 6 have free GP care. One of the trade-offs for all the adult subsidies is that many surgeries are starting to charge for kids now. And why do we pay to see the doctor anyway? We pay enough in taxes for GP visits to be free. It's a terrible situation to be in, to have to choose between your health and feeding your family. You'll find that people wait til they are very sick indeed before going to the doc, cos of the cost. As a result, there is more antibiotic use than there should be and more hospital intervention then there should be. Doctors should fall under the public system.
- yeah, it's great that student loans have no interest on them. But they are still loans. Why are we not giving grants to kids leaving school and entering into university? Why are we putting our kids into debt just because they want to better themselves and further their education? First time study at Uni after school should be fully grant-based, not loan based

I too got a tax rebate this year - all $1500 of it. And for that I had to start a second job, on a self-employed basis. I have been working over 70 hours a week for the last 12 months and the business ran at a significant loss - but again, I'm on 39% tax so that wipes out a very hefty part of any refund I should be entitled to. Not a very good result really. Debating whether to continue.

Just my rant for the day.

[RantyDave]

Why are we not giving grants to kids leaving school and entering into university?

Because having spent a couple of hundred words bitching about taxation the last thing you want is more of it. Or perhaps you can suggest something else that can bend? Pay nurses even less and have even more of them leave the country? Pay teachers even less and have even fewer choose to enter the profession in the first place? Spend even less on roading? Less on the military? Cut benefits for both the genuinely needy and the bludgers?

The only realistic choice is to grow the economy which, to be honest, they are trying to do but the government can't do it on it's own. The sensible move would be to implement a capital gains tax but politicians are more concerned with being in power than doing the right thing so that will never happen.

Besides, I kinda like the idea. As NZ's universities become more expensive, so sending the kids abroad for uni looks more and more economically feasible - which means they might get a proper education, albeit a hideously expensive one.

Dave

[Flyingpony]

Got an unexpected letter from IRD recently and also get some tax money back

One odd thing though, their year-to-date figure is always $4-6 less than my payslip year-to-date but taxed paid amount is correct to the cent. Strange...

[Conquiztador]

NZ is doing well and we are all here to get the benefits of it.

- your kiwisaver contributions are taxed before they are taken out of your income. And when you look at the spiralling interest rates at the mo, not many people are confident in having enough spare to be able to put the extra aside. They're not 'giving back' anything they've not already taken from you elsewhere.

You pay tax on your income. Then it is up to you what you do with it: Buy a lizard, give it to the Scientologists or save it for your retirement. KiwiSaver falls under the last one. Why would you be able to deposit the money in to KiwiSaver BEFORE tax is taken??? And you said nothing re the $1K you get for joining, the $1040 you get a year or your employers contributions. But that would not have been whinging now would it??

- the payment the govt gives you for 14 weeks after the birth of your child is as good as a slap in the face with a wet fish by the time they've taken tax off it (if you're a high earner you're still taxed at your 39% even tho you won't be on enough while you're off to be taxed at 39% - saying you can claim it back at the end of your maternity leave is no help when you're struggling to afford the mortgage and groceries right there and then).

- 14 weeks is more then we had with my ex when we had our four boys. We got nothing...
- Income is taxed in NZ (but you can go to Dubai, they have no income tax...)
- You pay 22% income tax(I think) up to a certain amount of your income. Then any parts of your income above that is taxed at a higher rate. When I lived in Sweden I was taxed at 55%...

-the 20 hours 'free' is bollocks. Yes, free for 3 and 4 year olds, but who is paying for that free time? The parents of the 0-2's with higher fees than before the 'free' care came in, and the parents of 3 and 4 year olds who need more than 20 hours with 'optional' top-up fees.

- Wrong. Government is subsidising every free hour with close to $4/child that goes to the child care.
- Every child care gets funding from the ministery. The more qualified staff you have on-board the more funding. Here many child cares have found that their false economy has now started biting them in the bum: They save money by using unqalified staff but that means they get less funding...
- Part of my job is overseeing a child care. We have no problem providing the free hours without charging anyone extra. But we are different as we do not need to make a profit for a bunch of share holders...What the government is paying the child cares for the 20 hour free is enuf if you have done your budget right. And you shop around when buying nappies and bottles.
- If you have a 3-4yo child and need more then 20 hours/week you will pay same as everyone else pays per hour.

- no idea where you get the 'if a couple with kids does their sums right they can have more income blah de blah' - working for families only applies if you're low earners or have lots of kids. For middle and high income NZers who are struggling to pay their mortgage and have finally given in to the biological urge to procreate, the amount they will get back if one parent doesn't work is an insult (for us it would be $17 a week). As with everything in this country - those paying the most tax get the least back and we keep those who have never worked or who have never thought to better themselves in live in a pretty good income.

- Where do I get that from? From my own first hand experience. Get rid of the house keeper, the nanny, the once a week cleaner, the lawn mover man and the ironing lady and put your wifie doing that her self. You save the costs, she can work 1/2 day, you get a "working for families" tax credit. And you get a fit wifie who sleeps well at night. Try the calculation (you can do this on the web, many places have them) You be surprised how well it will work out.

- not all kids under 6 have free GP care. One of the trade-offs for all the adult subsidies is that many surgeries are starting to charge for kids now. And why do we pay to see the doctor anyway? We pay enough in taxes for GP visits to be free. It's a terrible situation to be in, to have to choose between your health and feeding your family. You'll find that people wait til they are very sick indeed before going to the doc, cos of the cost. As a result, there is more antibiotic use than there should be and more hospital intervention then there should be. Doctors should fall under the public system.

-If your GP charges for childrens visits do two things: 1. Report them, and 2. Change GP. And all GP's will invoice you so you can pay later. Then there is the Community Services Card.

- yeah, it's great that student loans have no interest on them. But they are still loans. Why are we not giving grants to kids leaving school and entering into university? Why are we putting our kids into debt just because they want to better themselves and further their education? First time study at Uni after school should be fully grant-based, not loan based.

- Why should our country provide free Uni for someone to move to a nother country to work? NZ will lose, the other countries will win. In the old USSR all schooling was free. And against any belief, anyone from there was welcome to leave the country at any time. The only thing they had to do was to pay for the free schooling they had recieved at the checkout before leaving...

- I too got a tax rebate this year - all $1500 of it. And for that I had to start a second job, on a self-employed basis. I have been working over 70 hours a week for the last 12 months and the business ran at a significant loss - but again, I'm on 39% tax so that wipes out a very hefty part of any refund I should be entitled to. Not a very good result really. Debating whether to continue.

- Debating wether to continue??? You work in your own business 70 hours/week and it runs at a significant loss?? Right...now it makes sense that you can not understand the rest of this.

[Conquiztador]

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[Conquiztador]

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[judecatmad]

Because having spent a couple of hundred words bitching about taxation the last thing you want is more of it. Or perhaps you can suggest something else that can bend? Pay nurses even less and have even more of them leave the country? Pay teachers even less and have even fewer choose to enter the profession in the first place? Spend even less on roading? Less on the military? Cut benefits for both the genuinely needy and the bludgers?

I did type up a huge reply to this, but I figured there was no point and chose to delete it. PC-ness has gripped this country, to the point where we feel it's the right of non-contributors to have as much free income as those who pay full whack for everything.

My feelings towards this socialist society are very clearly outdated and I should just accept the high taxes and the whittling away of the rights of those funding the country.

I shouldn't question the failing education system, or the need for those without a community services card to choose between health and paying bills, or the soaring interest rates, or the fact that the highest tax bracket kicks in at a level where you're not actually in a position to afford 39%, or the the fact that there are young (and not so young) professionals having to choose between buying a house or having a family. Nor should I question why there are people living in state housing who have 7 kids, a new car and Sky TV and can also afford enough alcohol to keep the parties going every weekend.

And when someone gets a small return from the government I should clearly jump up and do a along with everyone else, since that is the expected response of the proles to the very generous gifts given to us.

*sigh*

[judecatmad]

- Debating wether to continue??? You work in your own business 70 hours/week and it runs at a significant loss?? Right...now it makes sense that you can not understand the rest of this.

No, I work 40 hours a week in honest employment and took on the second job in an attempt to reduce my annual tax bill.

I run the business at a loss for a reason.

I might not be a socialist, but I'm not a fuckwit.

[Bullitt]

Jude I agree with everything youve written up to that last post. You should be very careful what you put on a public forum, you never know who might read it

[Conquiztador]

I did type up a huge reply to this, but I figured there was no point and chose to delete it. PC-ness has gripped this country, to the point where we feel it's the right of non-contributors to have as much free income as those who pay full whack for everything.

My feelings towards this socialist society are very clearly outdated and I should just accept the high taxes and the whittling away of the rights of those funding the country.

I shouldn't question the failing education system, or the need for those without a community services card to choose between health and paying bills, or the soaring interest rates, or the fact that the highest tax bracket kicks in at a level where you're not actually in a position to afford 39%, or the the fact that there are young (and not so young) professionals having to choose between buying a house or having a family. Nor should I question why there are people living in state housing who have 7 kids, a new car and Sky TV and can also afford enough alcohol to keep the parties going every weekend.

And when someone gets a small return from the government I should clearly jump up and do a along with everyone else, since that is the expected response of the proles to the very generous gifts given to us.

*sigh*

Hmm... Considering you came here from UK a few years ago (in your profile) one would think you had found positives why you are staying here, not negatives. If I find negatives re something I either sell it, shoot it or walk away. I am looking forward to your look at it all in a year or two when you have had the small one (hoping you used contraceptives with the cats...) and you get the benefits of the NZ system. Or perhaps you will, on principle, refuse it all??

Re the "gift" from the government. Missed my point: I was happily surprised that there now is a system in place that does the calculation for me and puts the $$'s in to my account 4 days after I called up the sexy voice. Imagine how many in the past never got their $$'s back as they did not fill in the tax return forms.

I was just happy that I got some unexpected $$'s without having to do anything about it. But I am just a simple man finding it easy to find things to be happy about. So I suppose it comes down to ones look at life...