NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

15 AUGUST

2655

Bills Introduced

Government Bills

(Minister/Member in Charge Shown in Parenthesis)
30 July 1991

Summary of Bills Introduced

Appropriation (No. 4)

This Bill is to issue and apply certain sums of public money for the year ending 30 June 1992, to authorise costs incurred, and to appropriate the supply granted for that year.

Social Welfare Reform

The significant provisions of Part I of the Bill are as follows:

(a) An increase in the age of entitlement to domestic purposes benefits for sole parents to 18 years;

(b) The restriction of entitlement to domestic purposes benefits to one parent in cases of split custody;

(c) An increase in the age of entitlement to invalids' and sickness benefits to 16 years;

(d) An inclusion of the accommodation benefit to which an applicant would otherwise be entitled in the formula for determining the period of non-entitlement of a person who has received a redundancy payment;

(e) The introduction of provision for participation in the community task force scheme;

(f) The reform of funeral grants;

(g) The restriction of entitlement to benefits to one parent in cases of shared custody;

(h) The reduction of the period during which a beneficiary may remain overseas without affecting eligibility for a benefit to 4 weeks;

(i) The extension of the provisions relating to periods of non-entitlement for high-income earners to applicants for widows', domestic purposes, invalids', sickness, and training benefits;

(j) The introduction of regulation-making empowering provisions relating to entitlement cards;

(k) The reversion of the name of guaranteed retirement income to national superannuation;

(l) The increase in the age of entitlement to guaranteed retirement income and veterans' pensions to 61 years on 1 April 1992, and the increase in the age of entitlement from 61 years to 65 years by 3-monthly increments every 6 months from 1 July 1993;

(m) The decrease in the alternative rate of guaranteed retirement income and veterans' pensions for persons with non-qualifying spouses;

(n) The introduction of income-testing of guaranteed retirement income;

(o) The introduction of a provision permitting all persons who qualify for both guaranteed retirement income and a veteran's pension to transfer from guaranteed retirement income to a veteran's pension;

(p) The introduction of income and assets testing in relation to the granting of assistance under the Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act 1975;

(q) The repeal of the Rehabilitation Act 1941 and various related Acts, regulations, and orders.

Part II of the Bill makes amendments to the Inland Revenue Department Act 1974 to allow the Inland Revenue Department to supply to the Department of Social Welfare all or any of the following information that is held by the Inland Revenue Department in relation to a credit of tax under Part XIA of the Income Tax Act 1976 for the year ending with the 31st day of March 1991:

(a) The names and addresses of persons in receipt of that credit of tax; and

(b) The number of children to which that credit of tax relates; and

(c) The amount of that credit of tax.

The purpose of the amendments is to facilitate the issuing of entitlement cards by the Department of Social Welfare.

Finance (Revenue)

This Bill amends the Customs Act 1966, the Tariff Act 1988, the Income Tax Act 1976 and the Stamp and Cheque Duties Amendment Act 1971 to give effect to Budget announcements in relation to:

(a) The excise duty and other duty payable on alcohol, tobacco and motor spirits;

(b) The application of the non-resident withholding tax provisions in respect of payments of interest by approved issuers; and

(c) The provision of an approved issuer levy at the rate of 2 cents for each $1 of leviable value in respect of loan transactions registered with the Commission of Inland Revenue by persons who are approved issuers under new section 311B of the Income Tax Act 1976.