There’s a view that large tech companies could be challenged to pay more tax.  

A report from tax expert Nick Miller says companies like Google take payments from a New Zealand subsidiary and then pay them to an offshore section of the business.   

These are listed as service or licence fees, but Miller says they could be seen as royalties, which come under a withholding tax.  

Miller says it's not just New Zealand having this issue.  

He says it's a debate Australia is having at the moment and one that New Zealand can't afford to sidestep. 

He told Mike Hosking we can learn a lot from what’s happening across the ditch, but if we want to obtain more tax from multinationals operating in New Zealand, our courts may have to reach a view on the issues. 

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