News

Claiming expenses when away on business
You can claim for lots of daily expenses when you’re travelling for work. If you take a holiday as part of the same trip, you can only claim for the parts of the trip that were work-related. What you can claim In general, when you’re away from home you can claim for: flights taxis, or mileage if you use your own car for business ...
Smile, it’s good for business
What do Winston Peters, Jacinda Ardern and Bill English (and John Key before him) have in common? When they see a camera, they almost always smile. Smiling is most important when selling. And like all good sales people, politicians are constantly promoting their product. Here's an example of a winning smile. Jane’s father was dropping her off at school. She was ...
How does your cyber security rate?
Cyber crime is rising and studies show many New Zealand businesses aren’t equipped to handle it. Take this self-assessment to see how your cyber protection stacks up — and get tips for fighting off attacks. Cyber risks rising More than a quarter of New Zealand businesses faced a cyber attack in the past year, according to Grant Thornton’s International Business Report survey. Number ...

Tax Talk Newsletter Oct / Nov 2017
Set out to succeed - According to international business information service Bloomberg, eight out of 10 new businesses fail in the first 18 months. If you want to be one of the two out of 10 who succeed, there's plenty of useful advice from experts. A web search will throw out lots of tips, but some consistent messages come through. One of the ...
Contracting: Hidden costs and expenses
Many contractors overestimate what they can earn in a year. Make sure your contracting rate covers things an employer would normally pay for, eg holidays and time off sick. Here’s how to budget for the ebbs and flows — and the expenses — that come when you work for yourself. What to budget for Broken income: If you’re contracting, you may have ...