Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) has called on the Government to make rural communities central to their decision-making regarding any changes to New Zealand's tax system.
"The recommendation that Government should use cloud-based accounting software to help small businesses reduce compliance costs fails to acknowledge that many rurally-based business owners do not have access to adequate internet and cellphone coverage," says national chair, Penny Mudford.
"RWNZ's 2018 submission to the Tax Working Group raised our concerns about the lack of rural and small business sector representatives on the Working Group.
"This lack of representation has clearly distanced the rural sector and rurally-based small business owners from discussions.
"We urge the Government to ensure all taxpayers' perspectives are taken into account to achieve the best outcomes for rural communities," said Mudford.
