Cooking The Books

Each week, the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB's Cooking The Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to get your free government cash. Hosted by Frances Cook.Would you like free money? How about $500, and you barely have to do a thing?This time of year is all about tax. Just the word is enough to give some people the shudders, but resist the urge. Think instead of the free money going begging, and how easy it can be to get hold of your slice of the pie.First up is the KiwiSaver tax credit. If you told me you had an investment where I'd get a guaranteed 50 percent return, I'd think you were scamming me.But if you save just $1042 each year, you can get $521 from the Government. You could be getting hundreds in free cash from the Government each year, and yet last year, 580,000 New Zealanders didn't.Some people genuinely need every dollar, but let's be honest, almost all of us can spare $20 a week. That's all it takes. Set up a direct debit, and this time next year, you'll be thanking me.It's