New Zealand

Groups of resident companies that have 100% common ownership may elect to be subject to the consolidated group regime. The group is effectively treated as a single company, and transfers of assets, dividends, interest, and management fees among members of the group are generally disregarded for tax purposes. The group files a single return and is issued a single assessment. Group members are jointly and severally liable for tax purposes unless an election is made to limit the liability to one or more companies in the group.

Outside of the consolidated group regime, companies that are 66% or more commonly owned constitute a ‘group’. Group companies can offset losses by election as well as by subvention payment. A subvention payment is a payment made by the profit company to the loss company and cannot exceed the amount of the loss company’s loss. The payment is deductible to the profit company and assessable to the loss company.

Companies that are more than 66% commonly owned may transfer imputation credits as part of loss grouping (i.e. loss offsets or subvention payments). This allows the company receiving the benefit of the loss grouping to pay a fully imputed dividend despite engaging in loss grouping and allows the company to retain the benefit of the loss transfer.

Certain companies subject to special bases of assessment (e.g. mining companies other than petroleum extraction companies) are excluded from the grouping provisions. Branches of non-resident companies may be included, provided they continue to carry on business in New Zealand through a fixed establishment.

Losses incurred by a dual-resident company are not available for offset by election or subvention payment.

Transfer pricing

The transfer pricing regime applies to cross-border, related-party transactions. This includes transactions between associated persons, transactions with members of a non-resident owning body (e.g. those who ‘act together’ to control the New Zealand taxpayer), and cross-border, related-party borrowings.

The transfer pricing rules are applied consistently with the OECD transfer pricing guidelines and require taxpayers to treat all cross-border transactions with associates as having been made for an arm’s-length consideration. One notable exception is the restricted transfer pricing rule, which applies to inbound debt in excess of NZD 10 million (as discussed below). New Zealand also has in place some simplification measures for low value-adding intra-group services, small value loans and small wholesale distributors.

The transfer pricing rules apply to arrangements for the acquisition or supply of goods, services, money, intangible property, and anything else (other than non-fixed rate shares or capital transactions) where the supplier and acquirer are associated persons. 

Various methods are available for determining the ‘arm’s-length consideration’. The taxpayer is required to use the method that produces the most reliable measure of the amount that independent parties would have paid or received in respect of the same or similar transactions when operating in a commercially rational manner. Inland Revenue has published guidelines that make it clear that documentation is required to support a taxpayer’s transfer prices. While there is currently no legal requirement to maintain transfer pricing documentation in New Zealand, where a transfer pricing adjustment is made to a taxpayer’s tax position, a 20% ‘lack of reasonable care’ penalty may be imposed on any resulting shortfall if no (or insufficient) transfer pricing documentation is in place at the time the relevant tax return was filed.

The documentation should demonstrate that:

• the legal form and substance of its cross-border associated party transactions align, and 
• the pricing of the ‘accurately transactions’ are aligned with the arm’s-length principle (i.e. reflect an outcome that unrelated parties would be willing to agree to). 

New Zealand has enacted a restricted transfer pricing (RTP) rule that applies to inbound debt in excess of NZD 10 million. The RTP rule contains a prescriptive set of rules and criteria and moves away from traditional arm's-length principles. The rule effectively requires debt to be priced as plain vanilla senior debt with a rebuttable presumption of parental support unless the foreign parent has substantial third-party debt that includes different terms.

Country-by-country (CbC) reporting requirements

The CbC reporting requirements have been published by the OECD in order to address base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS). Each year, the New Zealand Inland Revenue will contact the New Zealand headquartered corporate groups required to file the CbC report and provide templates and guidance.

Thin capitalisation

‘Inbound’ thin capitalisation rules apply to New Zealand taxpayers controlled by non-residents, including branches of non-residents. The aim of the rules is to ensure that New Zealand entities or branches do not deduct a disproportionately high amount of the worldwide group’s interest expense. This is achieved by deeming income to arise in New Zealand when, and to the extent that, the New Zealand entities in the group are thinly capitalised (i.e. excessively debt funded).

The inbound rules include situations where non-residents are 'acting together' and include trusts where the majority of settlements have come from non-residents or from entities subject to the thin capitalisation rules.

The ‘outbound’ thin capitalisation rules are intended to operate as a base protection measure to prevent New Zealand residents with CFC investments and certain FIF investments from allocating an excessive portion of their interest cost against the New Zealand tax base.

To reduce taxpayer compliance costs, the outbound thin capitalisation rules do not apply when the New Zealand taxpayer has 90% or more of their assets in New Zealand.

Further concessions are available under the ‘outbound rules’ to taxpayers who do not fall below this threshold. If the taxpayer’s interest deduction and dividends paid for fixed rate shares (the finance cost) is below NZD 1 million, no apportionment of deductible interest is required. If the finance cost is above NZD 1 million, but below NZD 2 million, the interest apportionment may be reduced.

An apportionment of deductible interest is required under the thin capitalisation rules when the debt percentage (calculated as the total group interest bearing debt/total group assets net of non-debt liabilities of a New Zealand entity or group) exceeds both:

• 60% (for ‘inbound’ thin capitalisation) or 75% (for ‘outbound’ thin capitalisation), and 
• 110% of the worldwide group’s debt percentage (reduced to 100% in certain circumstances). 

The worldwide group debt percentage generally takes into account only genuine third-party debt and does not include related-party debt.  

Foreign-owned banks operating in New Zealand are subject to specific thin capitalisation rules that deem income if the bank does not hold a level of equity equivalent to 6% of their New Zealand banking risk-weighted assets. In addition, banks are required to have sufficient equity to equity fund offshore investments that do not give rise to New Zealand taxable income in full.

The thin capitalisation regime includes an anti-avoidance rule to ensure that taxpayers do not repay loans just before year-end for thin capitalisation purposes. 

Anti-hybrid and branch mismatch rules

New Zealand’s hybrid mismatch rule can operate to deny deductions and/or include amounts of assessable income for New Zealand taxpayers. These rules aim to eliminate tax benefits arising due to a financial instrument or entity being treated differently for tax purposes by different countries.

It is important to note that the hybrid mismatch rules apply not only where there are direct hybrid dealings involving a New Zealand entity, but also where hybrid dealings exist within the global group, and to transactions with third parties in certain circumstances. Further, the hybrid mismatch rules do not have a de minimis or materiality threshold and can apply to any type of cross-border payment.

Inland Revenue issued an operational statement on 30 June 2021 on the administration of the imported mismatch rule, which applies for the income years beginning on and after 1 July 2018. It sets out the steps taxpayers should take before claiming deductions for cross-border related party transactions. Inland Revenue’s expectation is that the New Zealand taxpayer will obtain a written statement from the group's head office tax function confirming the steps that have been taken to ensure that there are no imported mismatches funded by the New Zealand payer. There may be severe consequences if the taxpayer is unable to produce this confirmation upon request within a reasonable timeframe. These could include the loss of any ability to challenge the denial of a deduction by the Commissioner. 

Controlled foreign companies (CFCs)

The CFC regime imposes New Zealand tax on the notional share of income attributable to residents (companies, trusts, and individuals) with interests in certain CFCs.

Central to the regime is the definition of a CFC. When five or fewer New Zealand residents directly or indirectly control more than 50% of a foreign company, or when a single New Zealand resident directly or indirectly controls 40% or more of a foreign company (unless a non-associated non-resident has equal or greater control), that company is a CFC. For interests that do not meet the definition of a CFC, the investment may be taxed under the FIF regime (see below).

Note that a person with an income interest in a CFC does not have attributed CFC income or losses if:

• the Australian exemption applies, or 
• the CFC passes an active business test. 

If the exemptions do not apply, only the CFC’s passive (attributable) income is subject to tax on attribution (on an accrual basis). However, no income attribution is required if a New Zealand resident has an income interest of less than 10% in the CFC.

Active business test

A CFC passes the active business test if it has passive (attributable) income that is less than 5% of its total income. For the purposes of the test, taxpayers measure passive and total income using either financial accounting (audited International Financial Reporting Standards [IFRS] or NZ GAAP accounts) or tax measures of income.

CFCs in the same country may be consolidated for calculating the 5% ratio, subject to certain conditions.

Australian exemption

A person with an interest in a CFC does not have attributed CFC income or a loss if the CFC is a resident in, and subject to income tax in, Australia and meets certain other criteria.

Passive (attributable) income

Attributable, or passive, income is income that is highly mobile and not location-specific (i.e. income where there is a risk that it could easily be shifted out of the New Zealand tax base).

The broad categories of attributable income are as follows:

• Certain types of dividend that would be taxable if received by a New Zealand resident company.
• Certain interest.
• Certain royalties.
• Certain rents.
• Certain amounts for financial arrangements.
• Income from services performed in New Zealand.
• Income from offshore insurance business and life insurance policies.
• Personal services income.
• Income from the disposal of revenue account property.
• Certain income related to telecommunications services. 

Taxpayers must disclose interests in CFCs in their annual tax returns. Failure to disclose CFC interests can result in the imposition of penalties.

Foreign investment funds (FIFs)

The FIF regime is an extension of the CFC regime, which subjects persons with interests in certain foreign entities (that are not CFCs) to New Zealand tax. It also applies when the investor does not have a sufficient interest in a foreign entity to be taxed under the CFC regime.

Common examples of investments classified as FIFs include foreign companies, unit trusts, and life insurance policies issued by foreign entities not subject to New Zealand tax.

The FIF rules can be split into the following two regimes:

• The portfolio FIF rules, which apply to interests of less than 10% in an FIF.
• The non-portfolio FIF rules, which apply to interests of 10% or more that are outside the CFC rules. 

Portfolio FIF rules

The portfolio FIF rules apply to interests of less than 10% in foreign companies, foreign superannuation schemes, and foreign life insurance policies issued by non-resident life insurers (if the CFC rules do not apply). However, a New Zealand resident does not generally have FIF income when:

• the total cost of FIF interests held by the individual does not exceed NZD 50,000
• the income interest is in certain Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) listed companies or certain Australian unit trusts, or 
• the CFC rules apply. 

There are also exemptions for interests in certain foreign employment-related superannuation schemes. These include interests held by returning residents and new migrants acquired before the person became a New Zealand resident or within the first five years of New Zealand residence.

When an interest is exempt from the FIF rules, distributions are subject to tax on a receipts basis in accordance with normal principles.

The taxable income of a New Zealand resident with an interest in an FIF that does not qualify for one of the exemptions is calculated using one of the following methods:

• Fair dividend rate (FDR).
• Comparative value.
• Cost.
• Deemed rate of return.
• Attributable FIF income.

The nature of the interest held and the availability of information restrict the choice of method.

Taxpayers must disclose interests in certain FIFs in their annual tax returns. Failure to disclose can result in the imposition of penalties.

Non-portfolio FIF rules

The active business exemption (which applies for CFCs) also includes certain non-portfolio FIFs. If the FIF fails the active business test, passive income will be attributed to the New Zealand shareholders. There is also an exemption for shareholders with a 10% or greater interest in an FIF that is resident and subject to tax in Australia.

When investors do not have sufficient information to perform the calculations required under the active business test (or choose not to apply the active business test), they will be able to use one of the attribution methods for portfolio FIF investments (see above).