http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1308/S00431.htm Welfare debt a bigger target than unpaid tax Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 9:40 am Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington MEDIA RELEASE 13 August  2013 Welfare debt a bigger target than unpaid tax New research from Victoria University shows government agencies are more likely to write off unpaid tax than welfare debt—even though the outstanding tax bill is almost six times larger. Research by Associate Professor Lisa Marriott from the School of Accounting and Commercial Law at Victoria Business School shows Inland Revenue (IRD) is more likely to write off unpaid tax in the short term, whereas the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will often keep welfare debts on its books, sometimes until people die or retire. [....]