FGC launches
manual handling
online course
A first-of-its-kind online tool to
train employees in how to avoid
manual handling injuries has been
developed and launched by the
NZ Food & Grocery Council.
The First Move Manual Handling Programme
is an easy-to-use and effective course that
addresses the risks and consequences of
manual handling. It is likely to be the first of
other online resources on health & safety.
Once enrolled, employees can access
standardised manual handling safety
concepts that are relevant to all job roles
across the industry. Not only will the
programme make them more aware of the
risks they face and the ways to avoid injury,
it will minimise confusion about what is ‘best
IRD puts cash in Kiwi
employee pockets
The new automatic tax assessment
process has reached the halfway
mark with Inland Revenue successfully
refunding more than $300 million to
New Zealanders.
“By the end of July, everyone
assessed for a refund will have been
notified and have that money in their
bank accounts,” says IR’s Deputy
Commissioner Sharon Thompson.
“There are roughly 1.2 million
assessments still to be issued, and
they’ll be sent out in batches over the
next five weeks.”
Ms Thompson said that some people
had told IR that they expected their
refunds sooner. “We understand
people’s concerns,” she said, “and
next year we’ll be aiming to get
refunds out sooner. But for this year
the end of July was always our target.
It’s our first year with the new system
and we’ve deliberately taken more
time, to be sure we get it working the
way it should.
“So far we’re really pleased with the
way assessments are going. It’s a key
function of our new system, affecting
around 2.5 million taxpayers, and it’s
vital that we get it right.”
More than 1.3 million assessments
have been issued since the first batch
went out on May 20, which include:
• 735,046 refunds
• 147,300 bills to pay
• 442,154 customers who have been
told they have already paid the right
amount of tax throughout the year or
who have had a small bill written off.
The total value of refunds paid out
so far is $319 million with recipients
receiving an average payment of $434.
There are bills to pay worth $57 million
with an average amount owing of
around $387.
Ms Thompson says while the
automatic assessment process is
going to plan, the demand on Inland
Revenue’s services is at record levels.
“We knew there would be increased
pressure and we planned for it but the
volume of calls through our contact
centres is such that we continue to
experience significant overloading.
“Many people want to know the
whereabouts of their assessment, but
the simple message is that it’s coming.
We plan to reach all salary and wage
earners by the end of July.
“Customers have been patient and
we’re grateful for that. From now on
we want to help them avoid paying
too much tax throughout the year
so we can minimise the annual ritual
of waiting until June or July to be
refunded.
Inland Revenue’s new system has
been up and running for almost two
months.
Since it went live on April 26 it has
handled:
• 13.9m logins to myIR
• 1.1m payday filing returns
• 1.2m Working for Families payments
made worth 272.8m in total
• 228,263 IR3 returns filed by
individuals
• 447,483 GST returns
NEWS
PUREES
DODGE US
SUGAR LAWS
Fruit purees are emerging
as a viable solution for US
food companies as they
work towards complying with
challenging new rules on the
labelling of sugar.
The FDA introduced new
labelling regulations in 2016
and the compliance date of
January 1, 2020 for these
is looming large. The soonto
be-implemented rules will
mean that manufacturers
and brands will be required
to declare ‘added sugar’
in addition to the standard
total sugars on nutrition facts
panels – even if some of
those sugars are added by
way of fruit juice powders or
concentrates.1
Implementation is staggered,
with large companies obliged
to meet the requirements by
January 1, 2020 date, and
smaller businesses by 2021.
But the change is already
forcing businesses to rethink
how they formulate
their products, in order to
avoid the negative perception
associated with added sugar.
However, a simple solution
is at hand, in the form of fruit
purees, says Welch’s Global
Ingredients Group. Purees are
not included in the definition of
added sugar and therefore the
fruit sugars naturally present
in purees only need to be
included in the total sugars
declaration.
16 JULY 2019