Help for those affected by the floods
At Tax and Trust as an office we were not impacted by the recent weather in Auckland, however one of our team members Danny Li did have flooding up to knee level inside his home and won’t be at work this week. We are also aware so far of at least one client severely impacted. We want you to know that we are here for you to help in any way we can if you have been affected.
Help with urgent or unexpected costs
Civil Defence payments are available for people affected by the flooding. You don’t have to be getting a benefit, and in most cases it doesn’t matter what your income is or what assets you have. Non-residents may be eligible for this payment.
Check the Work and Income website for criteria and details.
Banks are also offering help with temporary overdrafts etc, Contact your bank to find out what they can do.
For community assistance see the list of organisations and the help they are currently offering here. There are also opportunities for you to help others if you can with donations of supplies or money.
Removing rubbish
If you have rubbish to remove from, inside and around your property, you can find information here about how to do this:
Storm clean-up assistance – Make The Most of Waste website
Cleaning up after a flood
It is important to clean and dry your house and everything in it. Floodwater may contain sewage and other hazardous materials which can contaminate your home. Here you can find lot’s of tips and information on how to clean up safely.
Do remember that flood water can have harmful bacteria etc in it and will contaminate any food including garden produce and you should throw out any crops. Sunlight will sanitise the garden but sprinkling lime in areas that don’t get much sun is recommended. Also don’t forget about about sandpits if you have one at home for the kids.
IR Help
IR have asked us to let them know if taxpayers who have tax due have been affected by the floods. So if you or your business has been affected please let us know. It has not yet been declared an adverse event, however we expect this will happen so if you are badly affected you can expect some relief from interest and penalties on any late payment of taxes currently due.