The impact of taxation is a key aspect of financial and corporate decision-making. No person or business wants to pay more tax than they are legally obliged to. However, the tax system also plays an important role in ensuring a fair and decent society, through the distributional components of the system. An understanding of tax is therefore a vital component of a commerce degree, especially in accounting.

A Taxation major or minor covers areas such as New Zealand personal and corporate income tax systems, GST regimes, international tax law, double tax treaties, tax policy development and tax administration practices.