This article reviews the Report of the Tax Working Group of the Victoria University of Wellington, which included individuals from the Treasury and the Inland Revenue Department, as well as from the business community. The Report makes an important contribution to the tax policy debate in New Zealand by setting out the reasons for reform, the basic principles used to consider alternative policies, and the advantages and disadvantages of a range of reform proposals. The purpose of this review of the Report is not to discuss the proposals and recommendations in detail, but to consider a number of aspects concerning the evaluation of tax structures and to try to clarify some arguments which are not stated explicitly in the Report. An indication of useful next steps is also given.
