Hong Kong's tax system is one of the world's most successful. This article looks at what might be learned from it. The main lessons are (1) that it is possible to structure a combination of very light taxes and very low public spending so that it enjoys very broad public support; (2) that it is...

This paper examines the approach that the New Zealand Supreme Court, which was established in 2004, has taken to the problem of tax avoidance. In particular, it examines Ben Nevis Ltd v Commissioner of Inland Revenue (which concerned the General Anti-Avoidance Rule – or GAAR – contained in...

When setting public policies on retirement incomes, governments should focus on objectives they have a unique capacity to influence. Only governments can reliably eliminate poverty in old age, level the tax and regulatory playing fields for financial service providers/savers and gather...

In other developed jurisdictions, tax on income from employment is typically collected by means of PAYE (Pay-As-You-Earn). That is, the employer is required to withhold the tax from payments to the employee; remit it to the government; and pay to the employee only the balance. In Hong Kong,...

In 2011 a Committee comprising representatives of the New Zealand Law Society, the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and an organisation called the Corporate Taxpayers Group published a Report proposing that the General Anti-Avoidance Rule or GAAR contained in ss BG 1 and GA 1 of...

The aim of this article is to provide an account of the history of death duties and gift duty in New Zealand. This is worth doing for two main reasons. First, the story of these taxes' rise and demise constitutes a significant aspect of the country's fiscal and political history. It might even...