Tax calculator site popular in NZ and offshore

The Government's Budget 2010 tax calculator website www.taxguide.govt.nz is proving popular with New Zealanders both locally and offshore, Finance Minister Bill English says.

"Budget 2010 tax changes will lift economic growth by putting the right incentives back into the economy. It will also leave the vast majority of New Zealanders better off," Mr English says.

"For example a typical person on the average wage of about $50,000 a year will be about $15 a week better off, even after the increase in GST. A family with the average household income of about $76,000 will be about $25 a week better off.

"People can see this for themselves at the taxguide website, which calculates their tax cut, extra GST and any additional compensation through increased Working for Families, NZ Superannuation and benefit payments.

"The website is conservative as it assumes that people spend all of their income - other than housing which is not subject to GST. In addition it does not include future economic forecasts such as wage growth which is projected to exceed underlying price increases over the next four years.

"Since the Budget there have been 360,000 page views on the website. As well as getting large numbers of hits from in New Zealand there have been visits from people in cities and towns throughout Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and Asia.

"That result is encouraging given that one of the Budget's key objectives is to attract and retain skilled Kiwis, who we know are spread around the globe," Mr English says.

In total the website has had 361,000 page views from 158,600 unique visitors. The Budget 2010 package of across the board tax cuts and increases in Working for Families, NZ Superannuation and benefit payments takes effect from 1 October 2010.

ENDS

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