Wednesday 13th Oct 1999
Richard Prebble
Media Release -- Economy

“This is the first ever parliament Select Committee Inquiry into the IRD in New Zealand history and its findings are a victory for the ACT party said ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble today.

“It is an indictment on the two major parties that they have never agreed to Parliamentary scrutiny of the department, which has contact with every single New Zealander.

“It is a well established fact that any group needs to be scrutinised, or it will fall into practices which causes the system to become inefficient, arrogant and out of touch.

“It is not surprising, given the lack of scrutiny, that the IRD has developed a culture which has consistently not treated citizens well.

“It needs to be noted that governments are demanding more from the tax department than ever before .The tax department has to collect a massive 40 % of total income from New Zealand, up until 1973 it never collected more than 25%.

“This inquiry into the IRD would not have happened but for the election of ACT’s MPs and for the high profile campaign of ACT’s Finance Spokesperson Rodney Hide.

“Rodney Hide has been subjected to viscous personal attacks and claims by MPs from all other parties that there was no substance to his claims about taxpayer abuse.

“Rodney Hide has now been vindicated and as a result we have a unanimous finding by the Select Committee- that there is substance to Rodney Hide’s campaign. There is now enough substantial evidence to show that the IRD has abused its powers to collect tax.

“The ACT party has been vindicated in our position that the IRD must change. It now must be a positive change so that no New Zealander will ever again experience the same unfair tax treatment by the IRD that some taxpayers have experienced in the past.” Said ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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