IRD

Oh dear, it looks as though IRD is following ACC’s lead.  I wonder which National Party activist the IRD has sent them to?

Inland Revenue has apologised after personal details for just under 30 customers were incorrectly released.

Deputy Commissioner Service Delivery Arlene White said a preliminary internal investigation indicated last week’s incident may have been caused by a manual handling error.

The part I am most concerned about is that they haven’t got the information back.  May be the recipient is negotiating a deal?

“We have contacted the recipient of this information and our highest priority is the return of the information,” Ms White said.

“We are also contacting the customers whose information has been released to apologise and letting them know the steps we are taking to remedy the situation.”

So, do the initial ‘steps’ to the ‘remedy the situation’ look something like this:

1. Ask for the information back

2. Ask again for the information to be returned

3. Have meetings to have the information returned.

4. Strike a deal to get the information returned – lower tax rate perhaps?

5. Ask the recipient really nicely to stay away from Phil Kitchin.

Terry the Piss threatened to sue this blogger for telling the truth about his financial affairs. I still haven’t seen the process server or heard from the lawyers, not even so much as a cease and desist letter. Now what do we read:

Terry Serepisos is flying to Zurich in a bid to save the Phoenix football team and four of his other companies – but Inland Revenue is pushing ahead with plans to liquidate them.

The IRD says it is owed more than $3.5 million in outstanding tax and penalties and wants to advertise its plans to liquidate the companies. Mr Serepisos applied to the High Court at Wellington to stop the advertisements, but a judge refused and the adverts are due to run in The Dominion Post tomorrow.

Justice Forrie Miller was told at an urgently arranged hearing on Friday that Mr Serepisos was going to Zurich this week to sign loan documents that would allow IRD and other creditors to be paid within three weeks, assuming various conditions were met.

However, Inland Revenue doubted Mr Serepisos would be able to meet the conditions.

I doubt the gnomes of Zurich will listen to his bullshit. Word on the street in Wellington now is that Terry the Piss is now “owned” by the Italians in town and the little upstart Greek is jumping to their tune. It is simply a matter of time before the Boss flicks the whole house of cards and cleans up for good.

The Phoenix will continue, with Italian bosses.

Shawn Tan’s lawyer Max Whitehead was interviewed by bFM. It is a very telling interview and during the interview we find out that Andrew Little lied in his email to ALL members and we find that The Standard have also lied because Shawn Tan has met, with Max Whitehead, prior to todays meeting when they first suspended Shawn Tan.

Listen here

This is certainly a ramshackle PR fiasco for the bastard bosses at the EPMU.

A court case that has severe embarrassment potential for the Government has finally hit the courts.

Back in January DPF blogged about the ministerial interference and bullying by David Parker and Michael Cullen in the decision to ram through the Waikato Power Pylons against all the available advice.

The court case is challenging that decision and some of the key evidence was read today, including the sworn affidavit of Roy Hemmingway who was effectively fired by the government for his push back against ministerial interference.

The court was told that a majority of the commission’s board members went on to approve the proposal after being inappropriately directed to approve the decision, fearing that if they did not, they would be stripped of the power to make similar decisions in future.

This case has massive embarrassment potential, especially if the court overturns the decision for being improper in much the same way that Whangamata decision was overturned due to ministerial interference. Michael Cullen and David Parker will be squirming on the results of this case, the results of which are likely to be out before the election is held.

Radio NZ has a good summary of proceedings (streaming audio) today.

Yep, she is a "scrubber"

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has begun five days of mopping at New York’s Sanitation Department, as punishment for hitting a maid with a mobile phone.