Last week Revenue Minister, the Hon. Todd McClay announced an industry initiative enabling businesses to file GST returns straight from Xero to Inland Revenue (IR), rather than having to file a separate return. No more filling out forms. Nothing to print, sign or post.

It’s exciting to see government make it easier for small businesses to connect to IR. Initially, we’re offering the new service as a pilot to a limited number of customers to get the process right, and then we’ll make it available to all our customers early next year. The pilot starts on 1 December, and runs through until the end of February.

It reflects a new wave of thinking that Xero is right behind. Working with Government to make life easier for small businesses by removing low-value tasks and giving them greater opportunity to prosper. Everything from automation, to collaboration across regions, to making it easier to interact with government agencies. Government is making clear steps to transform their processes to ensure these types of tools are available to businesses to save time and expense.

For more information on the pilot check out IR’s website, or visit Xero’s help page.