The Inland Revenue commissioner has urged large companies to "rebuild the trust of the New Zealand public" by being more open about their tax arrangements.
In a speech to the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand tax conference in Auckland this morning commissioner Naomi Ferguson defended her organisations' approach to corporate tax collection but said more openness was needed.
"Transparency leads to trust whether it's at the local or international level, the public needs to feel confident the big players are paying the right amount of tax," she said.
"Corporate tax compliance is high in New Zealand and corporates have no need to be shy about telling the wider public about how much they contribute to our country.
"By being more transparent, we can help change the conversation on international tax affairs and rebuild the trust of the New Zealand public in our biggest corporates, especially the multinationals," she said.
The news comes after the issue of corporate tax avoidance rapidly climbed up the public agenda this year.
A Herald investigation in March into profit-shifting that found 20 large companies collecting $20 billion in New Zealand revenues collectively paid only $1.8 million in incomes taxes.