Baqir Hussain, FCCA - Business & Property Tax NZ

Baqir Hussain, FCCA - Business & Property Tax NZ I help New Zealand business owners and property investors minimise tax. Message me for a chat!

Recently, a client paid me an extraordinary $8,500 to fix a simple GST mistake that could have been easily avoided.Here’...
30/05/2026

Recently, a client paid me an extraordinary $8,500 to fix a simple GST mistake that could have been easily avoided.

Here’s how you can avoid making the same mistake when registering for GST with the IRD.

When you register for GST, the IRD asks you 3 key questions.

If you get these wrong, you can get your setup wrong and this can create major cashflow and tax problems later.

Here's a simple guide to help you get this right.

Looking to get Employer Accreditation with Immigration New Zealand (INZ)?Most business owners incorrectly think employer...
21/05/2026

Looking to get Employer Accreditation with Immigration New Zealand (INZ)?

Most business owners incorrectly think employer accreditation is an immigration process.

Instead, its a financial and commercial assessment of your business.

INZ is not just asking: “Do you want to hire people?”

They're asking: “Is your business financially viable and sustainable?”

There are 4 ways to prove this.

In my article, I give you the accountant’s perspective on how to decide what works best for your business

Moving from New Zealand to Australia? Here's how to avoid paying double tax in both countriesIf you move to Australia bu...
16/05/2026

Moving from New Zealand to Australia? Here's how to avoid paying double tax in both countries

If you move to Australia but don’t properly exit the New Zealand tax system, you can end up paying tax twice on the same income in both countries.

To avoid this, you need to correctly cease your New Zealand tax residency.

In my article, I cover:

- How to cease being a NZ tax resident
- Key Australian tax rules for new migrants
- A practical checklist before you leave
- 9 common mistakes to avoid

Moving to New Zealand?Here's how to pay $0 tax on foreign income for 4 years.Here’s how it works and where people go wro...
08/05/2026

Moving to New Zealand?
Here's how to pay $0 tax on foreign income for 4 years.
Here’s how it works and where people go wrong.
Click to read my latest blog.

Sometimes you’d rather have a friend in your property than a stranger. And you’re happy to give them a discount, and cha...
01/05/2026

Sometimes you’d rather have a friend in your property than a stranger. And you’re happy to give them a discount, and charge them 'Mates Rates' (i.e less than market rent).

Done right, this can also mean paying $0 tax on your rental income.

Inland Revenue consistently refers to this scenario as renting at "Mates' Rates".

This means renting to friends or acquaintances at a discount.

I like to call it the 'Mates' Rates' Exemption Rule.

The rule is straightforward:

If you rent a qualifying property to anyone for less than 80% of its market value rent, the income you receive is automatically treated as exempt income, simplifying your tax obligations.

But how does it actually work in practice?

Click below to read my latest article.

Here's how we pushed back hard on Immigration New Zealand and helped get a business Employer Accreditation approved toda...
30/04/2026

Here's how we pushed back hard on Immigration New Zealand and helped get a business Employer Accreditation approved today.

The business was relatively new, so it didn’t meet the usual criteria like 24 months of profitable trading or consistent positive cashflow.

That meant the business had to rely on one of the alternative pathways.

The initial thinking by the solicitor was to take the “sufficient capital” route, because the business had funds in the bank.

But I pointed out that capital alone does not prove your business is viable. Immigration NZ wants to see whether your business can sustain itself, not just whether you have money sitting in the bank.

We worked closely to position the application towards a 2-year business plan.

After submission, Immigration NZ pushed back. Its not uncommon, because INZ case officers don't always understand business models, accounting or finance.

But instead of accepting the pushback, we clarified the business model, defended the numbers & worked with the solicitor to respond clearly

And that’s how we got it over the line.

The takeaway for business owners:
Employer Accreditation is not just a form-filling exercise.

It’s about having the right people to defend it when challenged

If your accountant is just preparing numbers and not working with your solicitor, you are leaving gaps in your application.

How to pay $0 tax on rental income when renting to family members?By Baqir Hussain, FCCARenting a property to a family m...
29/04/2026

How to pay $0 tax on rental income when renting to family members?

By Baqir Hussain, FCCA

Renting a property to a family member is a common arrangement, and for properties like holiday homes, the income you receive from a relative can be treated as exempt income, resulting in a $0 tax outcome for that rental activity.

This rule applies regardless of the amount of rent charged. Even if your family member pays full market rent, the income is still exempt if the property qualifies.

The renter can be any “associated person”. By definition, an associated person includes most close relatives connected by blood, marriage, civil union, or adoption.

Common examples include:

- Your children, parents, and siblings.
- Grandchildren and grandparents.
- In-laws.

If the property is owned by a trust, rent from beneficiaries or settlors is also typically treated as coming from associated persons.

But how does the rule actually work?

Click below to read my latest article.

How to Pay $0 Tax on Rental Income: Using IRD's 'Quarantined Expenditure Opt-Out' RuleBy Baqir Hussain, FCCANew Zealand ...
27/04/2026

How to Pay $0 Tax on Rental Income: Using IRD's 'Quarantined Expenditure Opt-Out' Rule

By Baqir Hussain, FCCA

New Zealand tax law offers a little-known way to simplify your obligations, by simply opting-out of the standard tax rules.

This is applicable for owners of properties that are used for both private and rental purposes (known as "mixed-use assets"), such as holiday homes.

This means you pay no tax on that rental income for the year, and if you qualify, you can:

1. Treat your rental income as exempt.
2. Avoid reporting the income or expenses to IRD for that year.

This rule is called the Quarantined Expenditure Opt-Out.

Read more below.

A client came to us with two years of unresolved franchise issues. Here’s the message I received from the franchisee aft...
24/04/2026

A client came to us with two years of unresolved franchise issues. Here’s the message I received from the franchisee after everything was resolved.

Here’s how we fixed it.

From the client’s side, it was pure frustration when they initially reached out to us.

They knew something wasn’t right, but had no clarity on where the problem was.

Communication with the franchisor had broken down, and nothing was getting resolved.

Then one day, a legal notice arrived, along with a $70,000 bill for alleged arrears from the franchisor.

That’s when we stepped in.

We didn’t jump to conclusions.

Instead, we went back to the fundamentals.

1. We reviewed the agreement
2. Rebuilt the records from the ground up
3. Reconciled everything line by line

This allowed us to identify where the discrepancies were coming from and apply the correct treatment to the royalties.

Once everything was properly reconciled, we were able to clearly present the correct position.

This helped bring both sides back onto the same page and move things forward constructively.

In the end, the financial position was agreed, the matter was resolved, and the client could move forward with certainty.

If you’re in a franchise, getting the treatment of things like royalties wrong can become very expensive, very quickly.

If you’re dealing with issues that keep dragging on, they don’t fix themselves. They usually get worse.

Reach out early for help.

I was outnumbered 4 against 1, and we still won.That’s how we back our clients.This was a Disputes Tribunal case at the ...
22/04/2026

I was outnumbered 4 against 1, and we still won.
That’s how we back our clients.

This was a Disputes Tribunal case at the Waitakere District Court.

There were four respondents on one side.
One on ours.

On paper, it looks like an uphill battle.

But it doesn’t really matter how many people are there on the other side.

Most people would rely on explaining things “on the day”.

They would bring incomplete documents.

And they wouldn’t have properly worked through the numbers.

And they assume they’ll be able to talk their way through it.

That rarely works.

Because Tribunal decisions are based on clarity, evidence, and preparation.

In our case, everything was already done before we stepped in.

So when the case started, we had a clear position.

And the other side could see it immediately.

And within a few minutes, we reached a settlement.

This case was for our own matter.

But this is exactly how we approach every situation for our clients.

We show up ready.

Especially when it comes to tax, compliance, financial statements and IRD disputes.

And that’s how you get results, even when the odds look stacked against you.

If you want a strong team in your corner, message me for a one-on-one discussion.

Address

Auckland
0610

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+6498719000

Website

https://baqirhussain.com/, https://baqir-hussain.kit.com/483f4a109f, https://www.yo

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