ANALYSIS: When New Zealanders talk about property investment, it’s common to hear people bemoan the “preferential tax treatment” landlords receive. But while there were serious perks in the past – in the heady days of the turn of this century it was even possible to set up a company to buy a house, rent it to yourself and claim expenses – investors say that most of the benefits have been eroded by ring-fencing, the bright line test on capital gains, and the removal of depreciation for residential properties. So what’s the truth? I embarked on a little light reading to try to find out.