New Zealand: August tax bill includes changes to tax residence rules for “nonresident visitors”
Taxation (Annual Rates for 2025-26, Compliance Simplification, and Remedial Matters) Bill
The government has introduced a new tax bill, The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2025-26, Compliance Simplification, and Remedial Matters) Bill, which includes measures aimed at simplifying the tax rules, with a focus on so-called “digital nomads” and new migrants. Key measures in the bill include:
- Changes to tax residence rules (and related NZ tax obligations) for “nonresident visitors”
- New revenue account method for taxing offshore shares
- Goods and services tax (GST) and unincorporated joint ventures
- Employee share scheme (ESS) deferral of tax liabilities (and ESS remedial amendments)
- Remedial amendments to investment boost
- Fringe benefit tax (FBT) measures
- “Cash basis person” threshold increases
- Other remedial amendments
Read an August 2025 report prepared by the KPMG member firm in New Zealand