Holland’s departure no guarantee of change – PSA

The PSA, the union representing New Zealand’s tax workers, today said the departure of the IRD Commissioner Graham Holland would be ‘no automatic panacea’ for the organisation.

PSA national secretary Paul Cochrane said those wanting a better quality tax service – including IRD staff – must realise the importance of getting the findings of this year’s tax inquiry in place soon.

‘We were, by and large, satisfied with the inquiry’s findings and the call for a change in the work culture which, as was explicitly stated, must come from the top.

‘In that sense Mr Holland’s announcement will hopefully serve as a circuit breaker for change but there can be no comfort this will automatically happen,’ he said.

The inquiry was detailed on what was needed in IRD, he said. ‘There were recommendations on improving and increasing staff training and there was criticism of the downgrading of the department with job cuts, office closures and a loss of one on one services for taxpayers.

‘Detailed work has been done in examining the problems and now we need to be moving to fix things. I am confident this will happen because Labour was explicit in its support of the inquiry’s findings,’ he said.

‘We want the best for our members who have had a pretty hard time in the last year or so. We are working to get a job contract for those people which involves them in a workplace partnership aimed at getting a better quality service with more satisfying jobs, skills development and career structures,’ Mr Cochrane said.

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