Hunt back on for home for Inland Revenue in Hamilton

The vexed question of whether hundreds of Inland Revenue workers should be moved out of Hamilton's city centre is once again up in the air.

Inland Revenue has confirmed its hunt for a new home is back on, months after cancelling its last search amidst controversies that reached all the way to Wellington.

The tax department first announced its 900 staff needed new accommodation in mid 2014, sparking a war between the central city and Te Rapa's most powerful property owners.

The debate spilled over into politics, and the city's local representatives were soon calling for assurances that the struggling central business district would not be abandoned.

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Mayor Julie Hardaker is understood to have taken the lobbying to Parliament, where the Cabinet was eventually called upon to referee the fight.

Inland Revenue delayed the decision twice, before dropping the curtain on the hunt in June shortly after one of the central city's rejected property owners confirmed he had laid a complaint over the process with the commissioner's office, and was requesting an investigation by the Auditor-General.

However, Inland Revenue spokesman Peter van Schaardenburg has confirmed in a statement that the hunt is back on. 

"A shortlist of potential suppliers is expected to be made in November, and it is anticipated a contract will be signed by April 2016," the statement said.  

"The configuration of our Hamilton accommodation includes a commitment to the city's CBD, which at a minimum will include a front-of-house presence." 

Van Schaardenburg did not respond to requests for clarification and further information.

About 420 Inland Revenue staff currently work out of Garnett Ave in Te Rapa, with about 500 at Bryce St in the central city. The lease on both properties is up next year. 

The Government has previously copped flak for moving staff out of Hamilton's central city. In 2011 it decided to shift 180 Ministry of Education workers to Te Rapa.

Shifting Inland Revenue staff out of the CBD would be another blow to the council's efforts to rejuvenate the city. 

About 15,700 people currently work in the city centre.

 - Stuff