Photo: RNZ
Send your questions to susan.edmunds@rnz.co.nz
I recently had a haircut that turned out nothing like what I wanted. I didn't want to say anything on the day but now I'm wondering whether I could get my money back?
Usually, in the first instance, your hairdresser will probably want you to let them know you're not happy and give them a chance to make it right.
If that doesn't work, or you don't want to risk it, you are within your rights to ask for a refund.
Abby Damen, spokesperson for Consumer NZ, says broadly if you buy a product or service that is not of acceptable quality, "you don't have to put up with it".
If there's a minor fault, the provider can choose to make it right, or refund your money. If it's a major problem, it's up to you as the consumer what you want to do.
Damen says, if we're talking about a product, a major fault would be something that would have made you not buy it in the first place.
So if your haircut is nowhere near what you wanted, you can ask for a full refund.
You're entitled to ask for refunds for something of poor quality. Photo: 123RF
I transferred my pension schemes to NZ from the UK 14 years ago into a QROPS scheme and despite following all the advice at the time, seemed to get caught by some IRD retrospective tax changes and ended up with an unexpected tax bill.
I'm turning 60 in April and would like to withdraw the pension money to clear some of my mortgage debt. I've weighed up the benefits of keeping the pension going, possibly earning up to 8 percent growth, against savings on the mortgage of around 5 percent on current rates. But the equity gain on the family home can also be used to also guarantee a rental property mortgage. That may be a better income stream when I finally retire. I have no immediate plans at this point to retire, so am still receiving a salary. Possibly working for another five or 10 years.
So the big question for me is, does the pension withdrawal count as income and will I be taxed on this?
Pension transfers can be complicated - you can usually transfer your money to a local provider without any New Zealand tax implications within your first four years of tax residency here.
Ian Fay, from Deloitte, says based on the facts you've provided here, there shouldn't be any New Zealand tax when you come to withdraw from your QROPS.
"While I can't give UK tax advice, in this case as your reader made the transfer over 10 years ago and is over 55, my understanding is that there should also be no UK tax on the withdrawal. For absolute certainty, the UK position would need to be confirmed by a UK specialist."
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