Seminar: New Zealand's DST Journey - Taking the Right Path?

SYNOPSIS

On 19 June 2019, the New Zealand Government tabled a discussion document outlining a proposal to tax digital services provided in New Zealand by offshore digital companies. This catapulted New Zealand into a small but growing group of countries proposing to move down a path contrary to that being prompted by the OECD under the Two Pillar approach as part of BEPS 2.0. Moving on about four years, on 31 August 2023, the then Labour-led Government tabled the Digital Services Tax Bill 2023 (the DST Bill). The DST Bill lapsed with the General Election in October 2023 but was reinstated by the new National-led Coalition Government in December 2023. The DST Bill was put on the Parliamentary Order Paper in July 2024 and, as at the time of writing, awaits its First Reading. Assuming it passes its First Reading, then it will be sent to the Finance and Expenditure Committee (FEC) to receive and consider public submissions. This paper, as a work in progress, will review the progress of the DST Bill within the wider context of DSTs globally, and whether New Zealand will get it right if it goes down the path of a DST rather than wait and see if the OECD’s Pillar One is widely adopted (an increasingly unlikely event).

SPEAKER

Professor Adrian Sawyer
Professor of Taxation
University of Canterbury

Adrian Sawyer is a Professor of Taxation in the University of Canterbury’s Business School and an adjunct in the Faculty of Law. He holds an SJD from UVa as well as MCom(Hons), BCom, and LLB degrees from UC. He is a FCA, FCPA (Australia), and Barrister and Solicitor (NZ). Adrian is the chair of the editors of the New Zealand Journal of Taxation Law and Policy and a member of numerous Editorial Boards. Adrian’s research interests include tax administration and compliance, tax policy, taxpayers’ rights, and international taxation.

CHAIR

Assistant Professor Vincent Ooi
SMU Yong Pung How School of Law 

 

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