If National wins ...

[fungus pudding]

Nope. They're pissed off as they tell their clients they won't do something (e.g. two travel expenses when an attached receipt for petrol shows the two jobs were side by side with the fill in between), the client wants them to do and if they don't, the client finds another "accountant" that will.

They are definitely winding you up. No accountant would work through their clients' jobs like that. They would look at the total of petrol for the period, and claim the total, or apportion it in some cases.

[Harvey Specter]

They would look at the total of petrol for the period, and claim the total, or apportion it in some cases.

I also wonder how many SME accountants would raise whether a salary of $60k to the spouse was really justified considering they didn't actually do any work for the business (or at all). Income splitting at its best.

[fungus pudding]

Further doubting your credibility FP ... Many accounting systems automatically throw up these sort of discrepancies in this digital age. The accountants have hundreds of these sorts of rules written into their systems as it keeps their professional indemnity premiums lower.

But address the issue please ... Can salary and wage earners so this? No they can't!

Accountants do not work like that. Your imagination is running wild. However no doubt some self employed use their vehicles for a bit of private use. No doubt some salary and wage earners use work vehicles for unauthorised purposes, do various private errands while doing other jobs with the vehicle, pinch stationery from the office, make private phone calls on the business phone, photocopy things at work without telling the IRD. All such things deprive the IRD as well as the boss so it's doubly bad. Probably the biggest tax dodgers are the one-man-band tradesmen and home service men who do the odd-job and do not declare it. This apparently is often at the instigation of the client. The IRD have the odd drive on this but the only way to stop it is to do away with taxing income (or substantially reduce it) and have a higher consumption tax like GST.

[BIRMANBOY]

This is referred to as "generalizing from the particular" belg. Making broad sweeping statements from a few scraps. Akin to saying all rugby players are boofheads just because there are a few idiots. There will always be a few debateable or just wrong claims. You have to remember that most normal owners wont run the risk of a possible audit for the sake of a couple of hundred dollars saved. Audits are costly, stressful and incredibly time consuming. Again if this was a major issue The IRD would be all over it.....they don't..so guess what ..it isn't. As far as finding a "tame" accountant...I have more respect for that profession than you obviously. Also accountants will value their good name/reputation with the IRD and would just be stupid to endanger that for the sake of pacifying a customer. Your major point seems to be one of envy....i.e. salary and wage earners don't have the luxury of claiming similar deductions that business owners can. Back to my main point which is the IRD over a long period of time and countless political tinkering and law changing has decided that this is the way it is. I suggest that if you feel hard done by you could start your own business, employ some staff and "see how the other half lives". The perceived greener grass that you are suggesting small business is greedily consuming is just a figment of your imagination.

Nope. They're pissed off as they tell their clients they won't do something (e.g. two travel expenses when an attached receipt for petrol shows the two jobs were side by side with the fill in between), the client wants them to do and if they don't, the client finds another "accountant" that will.



Sorry I didn't read any further than this BB as your credibility just dived!

Penny and Hooper

And it was going on for many years! Can Salary and Wage earners do that? Nope.

[blackcap]

Credibility destroyed.

Hi Belg, I do work as an accountant for a few SME's and can tell you I do not work like you have been portraying. There will always be a rotten apple or two in every profession but for the most things are done above board.

[BIRMANBOY]

Belg don't throw the toys out of the cot.....what assertions have I made about you? Simply responding to your comments which you started off by saying that business owners were selfish, scurrilous and ripping the system off. Keep on subject please and don't divert from the issue by introducing non relative bits. I would be crushed if you give me negative rep by the way . Anyway this small business BS seems to have taken away from the politics so I don't want to hijack the thread. I still love you even when you get hyped.

By golly BB you make a huge number of assertions about who I am, what I have done and, most amazingly, how I feel. Clearly you've the view that making unfounded assertions as if they were fact is the best way to win an argument.

Not engaging any further BB if that is the way you're going to behave.

[iceman]

By golly BB you make a huge number of assertions about who I am, what I have done and, most amazingly, how I feel. Clearly you've the view that making unfounded assertions as if they were fact is the best way to win an argument.

Not engaging any further BB if that is the way you're going to behave.

This is an absolute classic from someone who in recent days spent almost a whole day personally attacking anyone that had a view different to yours.
Especially so since BB didn´t really make any assertions about you at all

[neopoleII]

""The mud stuck.

I was lunching with about 20 imaginary people yesterday and they, without exception, believed what I read to them by the shills in the NZ Herald's Political section.

I had to point them at the Business section where Fran O'Sullivan sets the record straight, chastising the NZ Herald shills at the same time.

Fran O'Sullivan: Unfounded resignation calls should be far from Cunliffe's mind

The howls of outrage I heard in my head were pretty vociferous and the NZ Herald lost no readers and the National party have lost All my swing votes. The phase "not in NZ" was mentioned quite a few times. quite a few times.quite a few times.quite a few times.quite a few times.......

sorry that was mean..... but it is the way I read it.
I think belg you need to read the last several weeks of posts you have written and think about what it is your writing and who you are directing to or at.
there is a link on the herald about stress..... you need to de stress and spend less time on the computer..... therefore we can once again read your posts without cringing, which is what is happening now........ you are and have been a valued and prolific poster for many years..... but it seems the value of your posts is diminishing while the prolification is increasing.

cheers

[elZorro]

The mud shouldn't stick, if it's make-believe.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11279513

Back to real policy.

Labour will:

• back Kiwi businesses by ensuring that government agencies buy more Kiwi-made products, keeping thousands of jobs in New Zealand;

• support hi-tech manufacturing through accelerated depreciation;
• strengthen innovation, including through research and development tax credits;
• reform monetary policy to achieve a fairer and more stable exchange rate to give manufacturers a chance in international markets;
• change the tax settings to direct more capital investment into the productive economy, rather than speculation in housing;
• introduce measures to increase the national savings pool and improve access to capital for businesses;
• contain or reduce structural costs to businesses, starting with electricity prices;
• promote growth in specific sectors through Labour’s Economic Upgrade policies, including timber processing;
• work to lower unnecessary compliance costs for businesses where consistent with workers’ rights, environmental standards, and quality assurance;
• give manufacturers a stronger voice in trade negotiations;
• recognise manufacturing’s role in creating jobs and adding value in national, regional, and industry development policies.
• A healthy, growing export manufacturing sector is vital to building a wealthy New Zealand and creating well-paying jobs for our people.
When the current government came to power, manufacturing was New Zealand’s largest employer. Now, it’s the third. Since mid-2008, 42,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost.

Six years later, there is no sign of a recovery in manufacturing employment – factories are still closing. There are 1,700 fewer manufacturing companies than in 2008.
Since mid-2008, annual manufactured exports have fallen by $2.6 billion, or 19%, after inflation.
We’re exporting more of our raw commodities overseas, rather than manufacturing them into value-added products here in New Zealand.
Manufacturing is the only major sector of the economy that hasn’t yet recovered to its pre-recession level of output.

The regions that have been hardest hit by the decline in manufacturing since 2008 are also the ones with the lowest rates of growth.
The Government’s lack of attention to export manufacturing is holding New Zealand back and denying Kiwis jobs.
The Parliamentary Inquiry into Manufacturing
revealed the causes of these serious problems:
• An over-valued currency, contributed to by out-dated, ideologically-driven monetary policy,
• Tax policy settings that favour investing in property speculation rather than the productive economy,
• Government policy that is at best indifferent and, at worst, hostile to manufacturing,
• Ministers and officials who refuse to acknowledge there’s a problem.
Tackling these issues and getting manufacturing growing again will mean higher export receipts, a smaller current account deficit, less international debt, more jobs, and higher wages for New Zealanders.

[elZorro]

Yes EZ it is a really difficult and unfair issue this multinational tax avoidance. It is not something that NZ will sort out on their own, whether Governed by Labour or National. It will take a concerted international effort lead by the big boys, if there is going to be any chance of making this fairer. I hope some sort of solution will be found.

Labour are bringing out new policy on the issue today. Why not confront it head on?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ectid=11280992