A lot of people are "super stressed" about their bills amid the high cost of living.
"I've been doing end-of-year taxes so it seemed legit."
IRD is holding millions of dollars in unclaimed funds.
Elizabeth Tangikau filed 75 false tax returns over a period of six years.
'Kick in the guts': Pregnant woman devastated, calling for change to Working for Families payments after surprise $2k bill
It has shattered their dreams of saving for a house.
Revenue Minister Simon Watts said Inland Revenue should be focused on higher priority measures to address the cost of living.
Millions of dollars are waiting for their owners to come forward.
IRD is now calling for 129,000 customers to start paying it back.
"I can't speak to that specific situation."
But a top official thinks it's good value for the taxpayer.
The two came on Newshub Nation for a full-length election-year debate
The richest 1 percent owns about a quarter of the country's financial assets, writes Craig Elliffe.
A two-year investigation by Inland Revenue has found New Zealand's ultra-rich pay tax at less than half the rate of the average person.
"The wealthy and what they own, frankly, is irrelevant."
The Revenue Minister believes the tax system isn't fair.
But the Prime Minister still refuses to reveal what his Party's tax policy will be ahead of the election.
Unlike previous tax relief proposals, there's no end date for this one.
The Inland Revenue sent letters on January 19 to people it believed had mistakenly received the payment.
"It is not working and that's particularly disappointing."
A report said 106,000 former students were behind in their payments and nearly 80,000 of them were overseas.
New figures have been revealed.
Here are the details.
Don't fret if your friends get their payment before you.
Here's what we now know.
It's being called a "significant misuse of taxpayer funding".
The first money will be doled out on Monday.
