BusinessNZ is requesting a review of business levies across New Zealand, with chief economist John Pask arguing some would be better funded through general taxation.
Chief executive Katherine Rich contacted Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour in June 2026 with the organisation's concerns about business levies, requesting he direct the Ministry for Regulation to review all levies for consistency with principles in the Regulatory Standards Act.
The levies in question span multiple areas including Fire and Emergency NZ funding, Ministry for Primary Industries cost recovery, waste levies, anti-money laundering measures, and proposed charges for prudential supervision of financial institutions.
Pask said the Regulatory Standards Act provides an opportunity to review levies. "This will be actually a good review for them to undertake, and to get some consistency across the board, because things have tended to develop in an ad hoc manner over the last two or three decades," he said.
Rich argued that waste levies raise legitimacy issues due to increasing disconnection between those paying the levy and those benefiting from the funds. The levies are imposed in addition to normal commercial landfill levies.
Pask said the cumulative effect of levies affects business performance. "At the end of the day, I mean, that's not good, in terms of inflation or ensuring that businesses remain productive and internationally competitive, and again, I'll reiterate, we're not saying that all levies are inappropriate, but just that we need a comprehensive review of those to see that they're still actually relevant in today's society," he said.