The IRD had been leaking taxpayers’ data to overseas tech firms in what Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, described as “shameful, and frankly it beggars belief that it is legal.”

“Even now, IRD Commissioner Peter Mersi is still refusing to front up to the millions of Kiwis his department has put at risk."

“Rather than saying IRD is ending the leaks because it was wrong to leak data, he’s blamed the Taxpayers’ Union’s campaign for drowning Inland Revenue in complaints from concerned taxpayers. Well we’re proud that the 9,000 of our supporters who wrote to the IRD demanding answers can claim this win.”

“Commissioner Mersi needs to stop burying his head in the sand, and explain to Kiwis how his department are going to clean up the mess of the data they’ve already leaked.”

“At the absolute bare minimum, we know 268,000 taxpayers have had their data leaked without even the skin-deep ‘protection’ of hashing. Heads need to roll over this.”

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