Transport fuels distributor and retailer Z Energy’s success in raising margins on petrol and diesel sales is under pressure and are “likely to trend toward the industry’s lower net margin,” says Deutsche Bank analyst Grant Swanepoel in a research note on yesterday’s full year result from Z. The Wellington-based company, which took over the refining, distribution and retail operations of …

The government’s lagging tax-take got a boost in March as later than expected filing of 2013 company tax returns bolstered the contribution from corporate taxpayers, allowing Finance Minister Bill English to confirm next week’s Budget will project a return to surplus. The Crown’s operating balance before gains and losses (obegal) was a deficit $1.66 billion in the nine months ended …

The Commerce Commission says farmers concerned about the way their interest rate swaps were sold to them have until the end of the month to contact the regulator otherwise they may miss out on future compensation claims. The antitrust regulator is investigating the alleged mis-selling of interest rate swaps in the rural sector by the New Zealand branches of the …