March 04 Rural Bulletin - Legislation Notes

Easter Sunday Trading Recommendation
Sitting Days 2004
Tax Relief for Flooded Farmers

Legislation Notes

Easter Sunday Trading Recommendation

A Parliamentary Committee is recommending that shops be allowed to open on Easter Sunday. Currently there are restricted trading hours for retail outlets on Easter Sunday, Good Friday, Christmas Day and Anzac Day. The Commerce Select Committee recommended that there should be no liberalising of shop trading hours on Christmas Day or Good Friday. But it says shops should be allowed to open on Easter Sunday because there are many regional exemptions in place. However, the committee also says protections are needed to ensure that employees are not forced to work on Easter Sunday.

Thanks to "NewsRoom"

Sitting Days 2004

Parliament is likely to be sitting on the following dates:

Tues 6 March - Thurs 8 April

Tues 4 May - Thurs 27 May

Tues 15 June - Thurs 1 July

Tues 27 July - Thurs 12 Aug

Tues 24 Aug - Thurs 6 Sept

Tues 5 Oct - Thurs 21 Oct

Tues 2 Nov - Thurs 17 Nov

Tues 30 Nov - Thurs 16 Dec.

Tax Relief for Flooded Farmers

The Government will legislate to give Inland Revenue more flexibility in dealing with business taxpayers who are having problems paying their taxes because of the floods in the lower North Island last month. The law will be changed to allow Inland Revenue to remit use-of-money interest on tax payments that are late as a result of the flooding - either because taxpayers' records have been destroyed, they cannot gain access to their records, or they did not have time to make their payments because of higher priorities created by the flooding.

The change is necessary because, under present law, Inland Revenue can remit penalties arising from late filing of returns or late payments caused by the flooding, but it does not have clear authority to remit use-of-money interest in these circumstances.

The law will also be changed to allow Inland Revenue to accept estimates of provisional tax that are late because of the floods. Normally, taxpayers who want early refunds of overpaid provisional tax must re-estimate their income for the year and file that information by the due date of their third and final instalment for the year - which is 7 March for many taxpayers. Strict criteria will apply: the taxpayers involved will have to have been significantly affected by the flooding, and they will have to apply for the relief.

Details on how to apply for relief and other information will be available on Inland Revenue's website at www.ird.govt.nz

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