30,000 tax returns awaited

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 3

30,000 tax returns awaited

More than 30,000 1987 tax returns in Canterbury may still be outstanding. The department was expecting more IRS tax returns this year because of legislative changes requiring both spouses to furnish returns when family support payments were being made. Some people might be reluctant to send in their tax returns because they might have been overpaid family support, said the acting district commissioner for the department’s Cathedral Square office, Miss Marie Fahey.

Social welfare benefits were also taxable for the first time from October 1 last year. However, Miss Fahey said beneficiaries who received only their benefit payment did not have to furnish a tax return.

The department expected to receive 145,500 IRS returns. Thirteen per cent — or about 19,000 — were still outstanding. Miss Fahey said that because more returns •were expected this year the 145,500 was only an estimated and “very unstable” figure. At the same time last year the department had received 95 per cent of its IRS returns.

More than 12,000 — or 18 per cent — of the expected number of IR3 returns were also outstanding. The department was expecting more than 68,000 IR3 returns this year. At the same time last year there were 13 per cent of the expected IR3s outstanding. Miss Fahey said some taxpayers were "holding off’ with their returns because of possible changes to farming legislation.

The department had processed 93 per cent of the IR5s it had received to date and 76 per cent of the IR3s it had received.