4 March 2004 PR 54/04
Farmers Welcome Tax Law Change

Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Inc) welcomes today's announcement that the government will change the law to give the tax department room to forgive interest charges on late tax payments.

"Farmers and other businesses hit by floods and storms appreciate the government giving them a bit of breathing space," said FFNZ President Tom Lambie.

Under current law, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has no discretion to waive interest charges on late tax payments. But today the government said it would legislate to allow IRD to waive such charges on taxpayers unable to make payments on time due to flooding.

"This move follows approaches by Federated Farmers, which has conveyed concerns of members who have lost their financial records or could not access them after the lower North Island floods."

Federated Farmers has no problem with the government saying it would set strict criteria on waiving interest. The criteria says that taxpayers have to be significantly affected by flooding, and they will have to apply for relief.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>