Media statement
For immediate release
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Relocation payment, overtime meal allowance tax changes
An issues paper released today seeks feedback on the details of the government’s proposed legislative changes to ensure
that employer payments for employee relocation expenses and overtime meal allowances are not taxable to the employees
who receive them.
The paper outlines the possible requirements that would have to be met for these payments to be exempt from income tax
and fringe benefit tax, seeking comment on the workability and effectiveness of the criteria.
“The proposed changes, announced on 24 October, are intended to remove the uncertainty about whether payments for
relocation expenses and overtime meal allowances are taxable to the recipients,” Finance Minister Michael Cullen and
Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said today.
“The uncertainty has grown over the years, and the time has come to clarify and simplify the legislation, to save time
and money for everyone involved – employers, the tax administration and the government alike.
“As announced earlier, it will obviously be necessary to introduce clear limitations to the tax-free status of these
payments, to prevent their being used as a non-tax salary substitute.
“For relocation expenses, the issues paper looks at what constitutes relocation, as opposed, say, to employees merely
moving closer to their existing workplace, and what expenses should qualify as relocation expenses, of which a
comprehensive list is provided.
“For overtime meal allowances, the issues paper suggests a number of limitations for them to be tax-free – such as
requiring the employee’s contract to specify that he or she is eligible for a meal allowance when working overtime, and
distinguishing in law between ‘overtime’ and other occasions for which meal allowances may be paid.
“We encourage all interested parties to express their views on the suggestions made in the issues paper, so that the
ensuing legislation does what it is intended to do and operates as effectively as possible,” they said.
The issues paper, “Tax-free relocation payments and overtime meal allowances”, is available at
www.taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz. The closing date for submissions is 14 December 2007.
Ends