Tax Watch: Budget 2026 edition
Client alertThis special edition of Tax Watch summarises everything you need to know about Budget 2026.
10 Jun 20262 min read
New Zealand and the United Kingdom signed a new DTA on 1 June 2026, replacing the existing 1983 agreement. It aims to improve certainty for taxpayers, and support cross-border trade and investment. The new agreement also includes modern OECD anti-BEPS and anti abuse provisions to prevent treaty shopping and profit shifting. The DTA is not yet in force and will apply once both countries complete their domestic ratification processes.
The new rates increase Tier 1 amounts across most vehicle types to reflect higher running costs, with more limited movement in Tier 2 rates.
This applies from 4 June 2026 and will directly impact deductible motor vehicle expenditure calculations and employer reimbursement policies under section DE 12 of the Income Tax Act 2007.
| Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Vehicle type
|
Tier 1 rate per kilometre
|
Tier 2 rate per kilometre
|
|
Petrol
|
$1.20
|
$0.37
|
|
Diesel
|
$1.30
|
$0.38
|
|
Petrol hybrid
|
$0.90
|
$0.24
|
|
Electric
|
$1.22
|
$0.23
|
This special edition of Tax Watch summarises everything you need to know about Budget 2026.
A global minimum tax has been introduced, which ensures that large multinationals pay at least 15% tax in all the jurisdictions they operate. This will have the effect of “reducing the incentive for profit shifting and placing a floor under tax competition, bringing an end to the race to the bottom on corporate tax rates,” as the OECD explains.
For retirement villages, there’s one area of complexity where the correct treatment can really pay dividends, and that’s GST. However, it can get complicated for retirement village operators; it’s easy to get wrong and can be very expensive to fix.
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