Browse determinations

The Commissioner of Inland Revenue may (or in some cases must) issue determinations about various tax issues such as accrual expenditure, depreciation, financial arrangements, foreign currency, livestock valuations, standard costs for boarding service providers, and childcare providers.

View all determinations

Accounting income method (AIM)

As part of legislation enacted on 21 February 2017, the Taxation (Business Tax, Exchange of Information, and Remedial Matters) Act 2017, a new method for calculating provisional tax was introduced – the accounting income method (AIM).

Common Reporting Standard (CRS)

The Commissioner may determine certain matters for the purposes of the CRS applied standard and Part 11B of the Tax Administration Act 1994: Participating jurisdictions, Suspension of reportable jurisdictions; and Non-reporting financial institutions and excluded accounts.

Excluded entities and accounts

Commissioner determinations for the purposes of the CRS applied standard and Part 11B of the Tax Administration Act 1994 regarding non-reporting financial institutions and excluded accounts.

AEOI participating jurisdictions

Commissioner determinations for the purposes of the CRS applied standard and Part 11B of the Tax Administration Act 1994 regarding participating jurisdictions that have an agreement with New Zealand under which they will provide us with CRS information.

COVID-19 variations

These variations concern the Commissioner’s additional discretion to extend a due date, deadline, time period or timeframe or vary a procedural or administrative requirement arising from COVID-19 or the Government’s response measures.

Depreciation

Taxpayers must depreciate all depreciable property, other than "excluded depreciable property", by applying the "basic economic depreciation rates" (or general depreciation rates). These rates are set out in Determination DEP1, which was issued in 1993. Since DEP1 was issued, we have issued further general determinations amending DEP1 and setting new asset classes and general depreciation rates.

General depreciation rates

Provisional depreciation rates

Disaster-related events

These determinations provide concessions on tax treatment in response to specific disaster events.

Financial arrangements (accruals)

The Commissioner may determine certain matters relating to financial arrangements. A taxpayer may wish to apply for a determination to ascertain the tax treatment of a particular financial arrangement.

General

Special

Application and processing fees

This sets out the application and processing fees for applications received on or after 1 October 1999.

Foreign currency

These determinations provide currency methods and exchange rate sources for use by branches, and the exchange rates we accept for converting foreign currency amounts to New Zealand dollars under the controlled foreign company (CFC) and foreign investment fund (FIF) rules.

Branches

These determinations provide currency methods and exchange rate sources for use by branches.

CFCs and FIFs

These determinations provide the exchange rates acceptable to Inland Revenue for converting foreign currency amounts to New Zealand dollars under the controlled foreign company (CFC) and foreign investment fund (FIF) rules.

International taxation

These determinations relate to disclosure requirements by persons who have control or income interest in a foreign company or an attributing interest in a foreign investment fund.

Controlled foreign companies (CFCs)

Disclosure exemptions

Foreign investment funds (FIFs)

Livestock

The Commissioner must, from time to time, make determinations of national standard costs of specified livestock and national average market values for specified livestock.

National average market values

These determinations establish the national average market value of specified livestock for a specified period and are published in the June Tax Information Bulletin each year.

National standard costs

These determinations establish the national standard costs of specified livestock for a specified period and are published in the March Tax Information Bulletin each year.

Standard-cost household service

The Commissioner may determine standard costs for household services provided by natural persons in their own domestic accommodation. This takes the form of determinations and periodic CPI adjustments.

Boarding service providers

Childcare providers

Home-share care providers

Short-stay accommodation

Miscellaneous determinations

These determinations generally represent statutory discretions exercised by the Commissioner of Inland Revenue in respect of a specific tax issue. They may be initiated by the Commissioner, a taxpayer or a class of taxpayers. They generally set out amount(s) of expenditure that the Commissioner would accept as deductible or amortisation rates(s) that would apply to specific type of expenditure.