What's tax pooling?

Tax pooling is a legal and respected part of the New Zealand tax system. The framework was established by Inland Revenue in 2001 to help taxpayers meet their provisional tax obligations.

Taxpayers pay their provisional tax into a ‘pool’ rather than paying directly to Inland Revenue. Once taxpayers know exactly what they need to pay in provisional tax, they transfer this out of the tax pool and sell any surplus to someone else (typically for a return greater than the Inland Revenue credit interest rate they would otherwise receive). A taxpayer faced with an underpayment can then acquire those surpluses for a fee less than the Inland Revenue debit interest rate. Tax Traders – as an IRD-approved intermediary – is the facilitator.