He Kupu nā te Kaikōmihana A word from the Commissioner (2023)

It has been a year since Te Tari Taake, Inland Revenue successfully completed its transformation programme. In this Annual Report, I am pleased to see the benefits of that transformation and how it is making tax simpler for customers. 

99% of tax returns are now filed electronically—more than 7 million of them through customers’ accounting systems integrating with ours. The vast majority of payments are made online and on time.

It is not just the collection of information and tax that is more efficient, but also the payments we make. Over 3.3 million New Zealanders are in KiwiSaver, and most of the funds invested pass through Te Tari Taake, Inland Revenue. This year, we passed on $9.7 billion to KiwiSaver scheme providers with 99.5% of members’ funds reaching providers within 3 days of us receiving the information. We are also seeing the benefits for parents and children from changes made to child support under our transformation programme. Payments are reaching receiving carers 14 days faster than before. 

Most tax returns are now checked by our systems and processed without manual intervention. Many New Zealanders and businesses receive a refund from Te Tari Taake, Inland Revenue in a matter of days. This is money they can then put to good use supporting their family or growing their business.

I am particularly pleased we got back out into the community, helping people deal with the impacts of the cyclones and floods or explaining changes to tax rules. With over 300 seminars, 100 presentations to community groups or expos, and visits to marae, we have helped groups understand both their tax obligations and the support available to them. We have been able to help New Zealanders and their businesses through a difficult year. 163,000 payment arrangements were set up to help people meet their tax payments over time—many of these were set up online and accepted automatically.  

I am very proud of our strong commitment to, and focus on, diversity and inclusion at Te Tari Taake, Inland Revenue. This is important for us as an organisation, and for the way in which we deliver services for New Zealanders. Also important are the steps we are taking to become a Tiriti-based organisation, which we continued to make progress towards this year.

I am looking forward to leading our organisation as we steward the tax system and protect and care for the assets we are responsible for over the coming years. Already, we are using our new system and analytics to quickly correct the tax affairs of those who may get something wrong, and to find those few who deliberately try to cheat the system. And as tax and social policy settings continue to change, I am confident we are in a good position to both advise on and implement those changes to ensure a healthy tax and social policy system for Aotearoa New Zealand.

As I look at the year gone by, I am proud to share our many achievements in this Annual Report.

Peter Mersi