Plan will benefit taxpayer -I.R.D.

Press, 27 June 1989, Page 12

Plan will benefit taxpayer -I.R.D.

PA Wellington Taxpayers will be the beneficiaries of a new Inland Revenue Department corporate plan approved by the Government, according to the department. A spokeswoman, Ms Katrina Casey, said the department would put greater emphasis on taxpayer services, one of five programmes created within the department under the plan. She said Inland Revenue had previously emphasised tax collection and assessment. Now it planned to put most of its resources into taxpayer services and assessment.

With the department policy of “self-assess-ment” of tax, Ms Casey said it was important to make sure taxpayers knew how to complete tax returns, and deliberate evasion was not missed. “To do that we need to give information to the public and have the backup of an audit.” she said. Last year the Government introduced heavy fines for evasion.

The corporate plan, approved by the Minister of Revenue, Mr Caygill, divides the department into five programmes: legislation, taxpayer services, revenue assessment and collection, income maintenance and taxpayer audit.

The Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Mr David Henry, said that “because this is the first year of the new planning process, I recognise that it will require considerable work to improve it over the next few years.”