Kiwis Count Survey 2009 - Taxation and Business Services Fact Sheet

Key Facts

• The Taxation & Business services group improved the most of all service groups between 2007 and 2009, increasing from 60 to 62.
• Four of the seven services in the Taxation & Business services group are either new, or have been altered for the 2009 survey.
• Of the services included in the 2007 survey, two improved, while one declined.
• The Taxation & Business service group improved on four of the six drivers of satisfaction.
• The service quality score for Help or information about starting a small business was 75 for Māori compared to 65 for the general population.

Introduction

The Taxation & Business services group features four new services in 2009. Registered a business entity for tax purposes or filed a tax return scored 64. Help or information about starting a small business scored 65. Funding assistance for a business or a business grant and Enquired about tax, receiving tax credits, student loan repayments or Kiwisaver were both lower at 54 and 59, respectively. Importing goods into New Zealand or customs duties fell furthest, dropping five points to 57. Contact with Statistics New Zealand for information about taking part in a survey improved moderately as did Registered a new company or filing an annual return for a registered company.

Fig 1: Overall service quality scores for services in the Taxation & Business services group, 2007-2009

Comparisons with Canada

Comparisons between Kiwis Count and the Canadian Citizens First survey are difficult as most of the equivalent Canadian services have only recently been added to Citizens First.

Fig 2: Comparison of service quality scores in Canada from 1998-2007 and New Zealand from 2007-2009¹

Results for Māori and Pacific peoples

Results for Māori are generally in line with those for the general population. However, there was a considerable difference in the satisfaction with Help or information for starting a small business, which scored very well among Māori, at 75, compared to 65 for the general population. Scores for Pacific peoples were limited by small sample sizes for a number of services, but the sample size was sufficient for Registered a business entity for tax purposes or filled a tax return, which showed service quality among Pacific peoples to be 55, considerably lower than the survey average.

Fig 3: Comparison of service quality scores for Taxation & Business services between Māori and the survey average, 2007-2009

Performance against the drivers of satisfaction

The Taxation & Business services group improved against most of the drivers of satisfaction, which is to be expected considering the overall improvement in service quality. The biggest improvements were on It's an example of good value for tax dollars spent (up 13 points, to 50) and The service experience met your expectations (up 11, to 55). Taxation & Business services also had big improvements on Staff kept their promises and You were treated fairly. The improvements were not universal however, as the score for Staff were competent fell by two points to 57, and Your individual circumstances were taken into account remained steady on 50.

Fig 4: Performance against the drivers of satisfaction for Taxation & Business services, 2007-2009

Other Interesting Facts

Satisfaction with Registered a business entity for tax purposes or filed a tax return was higher (74) among people aged 65 plus and lower among people in the 18-24 age bracket (59).

How can these results be improved?

Of the six drivers of satisfaction, Your individual circumstances were taken into account scored lowest (equal with It's an example of good value for tax dollars spent) and no improvement was made in 2009. The score for Staff were competent fell in 2009. To improve these scores, the following could be considered:

• Ensure staff may exercise some flexibility and discretion around processes. Regardless of the outcome of a service experience, it is particularly important to New Zealanders that they feel they have been listened to and not treated like a number.
• Ensure staff are skilled in explaining processes and informing people of their entitlements. Consider a tailored approach for client groups that have difficulty understanding English.

For more information

Visit the SSC website:

www.ssc.govt.nz/nzers-experience

or email:

newzealanders.experience@ssc.govt.nz

¹ Some of the services included in the Citizens First surveys do not completely align with the services in Kiwis Count