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Whanganui Chronicle – By Russell Bell I grew up with a love of statistics and mathematics. So much so that as a child I used to while many hours away creating my own sports leagues – cricket, football and rugby – and with dice I would pit each team against each other in matches and […]

Are you aware that legislation is before parliament that will deny taxpayers the ability to claim rental losses against other sources of their income? If you would like to learn more about the proposed application of  this law, please contact Craig McKinnon on (06) 3481324 or email craig@balanceonline.co.nz

Soft skills are the personal qualities that make people easy to work with and they’re key for business success. Here are five important soft skills and the best open-ended interview questions you can ask to help find out whether a candidate is right for your business. Communication: Give me an example of when you had to […]

Six ways to ‘do good’ by your staff Celebrate! Write down one thing you’ll do in the next six months to reward your team. Book in staff performance meetings now because setting and revisiting KPIs ensures everyone’s on track. Lock in 30-minutes to revisit your strategic plan this month. List three things you can do […]

With the way the world is developing, these days, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get less than what you’ve always got. This is why creating a Business Plan, and remaining accountable to it, is one of the most important things you can do for your business. Do you have a plan? If […]

Tax pooling is an IRD – approved service offered by a commercial provider such as Tax Traders.  It primarily allows taxpayers to  pay income tax at a time or in manner that suits them, at a lower interest cost than what IRD charges for unpaid tax without incurring late payment penalties. If you would like […]

More than 200,000 New Zealanders and their families will benefit from the minimum wage going up to $17.70 an hour on 1 April 2019 – an increase of $1.20. The starting-out and training minimum wage rates will increase from $13.20 to $14.16 per hour (remaining at 80% of the adult minimum wage) and the Government […]

Payday filing We have mentioned this in the past, but don’t forget payday filing for employers is compulsory from 1 April 2019. Please contact us if you need any help with complying with the new process and rules. No more cheques for IRD Do you send post-dated cheques for tax payments? It’s time to go […]

Fill your drawers: Can you stock up on stationery, postage and courier bags before 31 March? Claim now and save. Staff expenses: If you owe employees holiday pay, bonuses, long service leave or redundancy payments, you can claim for these now – as long as they are paid within 63 days of the balance date […]

Hundreds of Kiwi business owners are enjoying the benefits of payday filing – are you? If not, you’ll need to be by 1 April when payday filing becomes compulsory. Now’s the time to work out how you’re going to integrate it into your payroll processes and save time on your tax obligations. Payday filing means […]

Delivering a high-quality, efficient compliance service is just a part of that. Helping you to develop, improve and grow your business is the next step. As a valued client, you can have one Complimentary Client Review (CCR) per year. A CCR stimulates strategic discussion and identifies burning issues, opportunities and challenges so that you can […]

Do your Christmas housekeeping! Chase up unpaid invoices to encourage payment before Christmas to get cashflow off to a good start for the New Year. Make sure your voicemail message and website mention closing date info and emergency contact details. Who’s responding to work related emails while you’re on holiday? Is payroll all set up […]

Many businesses start to worry about their bank balance around now. The holidays looming recall unpleasant memories of last year. All the regular expenses (wages, rent, suppliers and so on) are still due, but the people who pay you are either away on holiday or slow payers awaiting payment themselves. Instead of a relaxing break […]

Parties and gifts are all part of the festive fun but they can cost a small fortune. Here’s a list of the rules around entertainment expenses so you know what’s deductible and non-deductible before you fork out for your staff and customers. To claim 100% of your customer gifts, keep it non-food or drink related. […]

While the Christmas/New Year period is traditionally a slow time of year for business, you still need to meet your expenses. Ensure your bases are covered before you clock off for the year. 1. Plan ahead Do a budget to figure out how much you are going to need to cover your overheads. This is […]

With the recent increase in spam emails supposedly from the IRD, keep an eye out for the subject heading: “GST returns due in 5 days”. If you get one, delete it.  

Locking the doors is one thing but you need to take extra steps to ensure your workplace is safe and secure before you head away this Christmas.The last thing you want is for someone to access your work space and hurt themselves. Take time to check every square inch of your work environment, inside and […]

Blackmail, extortion and identity theft might sound like something straight out of a blockbuster movie but cyber crime is not only a reality, it’s on the rise and research shows the average Kiwi business isn’t prepared. Is New Zealand really under threat, we’re so far away! Unfortunately ‘out of sight, out of mind’ doesn’t apply […]

This month Balance had the privilege of being featured in the Annual Report of our professional body (Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand). Russell Bell CA (partner) who heads up our consulting division was featured in a short video presentation which we understand was also presented to the recent World Congress of Accountants in Sydney […]