At Inland Revenue Te Tari Taake our focus is on improving oranga (wellbeing in its widest sense) for current and future generations through our work. It means we need to think about how we improve wellbeing for future generations through what we do today. We make our biggest contribution to oranga through economic activities including collecting and distributing money.
We know that while most people try to do the right thing, some do not. For customers who struggle to get things right, whether due to difficult circumstances or accidently, we’ll work with them to help them get back on track. For those who deliberately choose not to do the right thing or choose not to pay what they owe, we’ll increase our efforts to actively investigate and take enforcement action where we need to. With the analytical capabilities we have, we can identify non-compliance at an early stage and address it. New Zealanders can expect to see us use the full range of options we have to make sure that people comply with their obligations and pay the tax they owe.
We’ll also continue to focus on how we can make things as easy as possible for people to pay and receive the right amounts with as little effort as possible. We’ve made good progress with making things simpler for our individual customers and we will be shifting our focus to making things simpler for businesses over the next few years so it’s easier for them to meet their obligations.
We don’t do any of this on our own and recognise we’re part of a wider system. Increasingly, third parties, such as tax intermediaries and software providers, are involved in delivering services to customers. We will work more closely with them to collaboratively design digital solutions that reduce effort for customers.
We also partner with other agencies in the public sector to ensure New Zealanders get the services they are entitled to. We recognise we have capabilities that could be used more broadly across the public sector to improve outcomes for New Zealanders, for example sharing more of the information we hold. This is an area we will do more work in to ensure we contribute as much value as we can.
As well as delivering our day-to-day services, we will continue to look longer term to ensure we fulfil our stewardship obligations under the Public Service Act 2020. Making sure we have strong foundations in place is the first step in ensuring we have the capability and resources we need to contribute to the debate on longer-term issues and bring a long-term perspective to the issues of integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the systems we’re responsible for.
Everything starts and ends with our people and we will only achieve our aspiration and outcomes through their work. We want to be seen as a great place to work so we can attract and develop the capable, diverse, motivated people we need to be able to continue to serve New Zealanders effectively.
Chief Executive’s Statement of Responsibility
In signing this Statement, I acknowledge that I am responsible for the information on the strategic intentions of Inland Revenue. This information has been prepared in accordance with section 38 and section 40 of the Public Finance Act 1989.
Peter Mersi
Commissioner and Chief Executive
12 November 2024