Occupancy Tax in New Zealand

[Nicky253]

Hi - can anyone help me with this subject please.  We pay 15% VAT/GST here but not sure why we also have to pay occupancy tax as a host in New Zealand.   

Any clarity on this subject would be greatly appreciated!  

Many thanks

[Quincy]

Hi @Nicky253,

How have you been handling your taxes so far?

I've tagged a few hosts who might be able to provide more support:

@Canbin0 @Helen427 @Shailesh19 @Cheryl1128 @Lindsey496 @Stephanie213 @Margaret865 @Alan1938 @Jennifer4498 

In the meantime, while we wait for a response, I found these Help Center articles that you may find helpful:

 👉GST collection and remittance by Airbnb in New Zealand

👉 Responsible hosting in New Zealand 

[Nicky253]

hi Quincy - thanks for coming back to me.  We usually do our own taxes at the end of the financial year so wondering why airbnb takes both the tax and the GST (VAT)?  I thought we were all responsible for sorting the tax out?

Thanks, Nicky 

[Helen427]

@Nicky253 , we are all responsible for our own Tax.

Have you provided feedback to Inland Revenue?

They to seem to be out of there depth of knowing much about the INS and outs of ABB and all of us having unique situations of hosting.

For some weird reason there's been a blanket approach that we are all Motel type of operators or Traditional Guest houses when we are not.

Much of the blanket approach to paying Taxes goes back to Behavior Scientists and Psychologists pushing computer based systems without appropriate and meaningful human interaction and intervention.

A number of countries worldwide have Governments signed up to Human Behavior Projects lead by The BIT/ Nudge Unit that was set up in 2004 in the UK..look up there history and all the warning signs were there back then it would be problematic.

Consequences.

[Helen427]

In addition, there's been recent news media on this subject here in New Zealand and it's not yet been introduced and may well not be so why have we been asked to fulfil a so called requirement that isn't even applicable?

IT teams need a shake up.

Perhaps Joe Gebbia can help sort out this mess as it's not Efficiency.