Tax season stress getting to you? ZA Bank shows you how to "borrow smart"
Every tax season, when that tax bill lands, most people get a nasty shock at the amount – especially in recent years as tax relief caps have tightened. Having to fork out over a month's salary in one go isn't easy for many of us.
Tax loans have become such a useful financial tool each tax season not just because the extra cash helps with cash flow, but because it's a rare opportunity to borrow at a low cost.
Want to know how to seize the opportunity to "borrow smart"? Read on to find out more!
Busting tax loan myths: the money isn't just for paying tax
Many people mistakenly believe tax loans can only be used for paying tax. This simply isn't true.
What makes tax loans so attractive is that their interest rates are typically lower than other personal loans, plus they're quick to approve and straightforward to arrange. Most importantly, tax loans come with no restrictions on how you use the funds.
How can you make the most of a tax loan?
- Invest in your development: Whether it's pursuing an MBA, obtaining professional qualifications, or learning new skills, further education costs can easily run into tens of thousands or even six figures. With a tax loan, you can kick-start your development plans immediately without waiting to save up the full amount – getting ahead of the game.
- Achieve life goals: Getting married, renovating your home, or even that long-awaited extended holiday. When you need medium-term funding to achieve these goals, choosing ZA Bank's tax season loan at rates as low as 0%¹ this year works out far better value than maxing out your credit cards.
- Cash flow management: Even if you've simply overspent during the busy shopping season or need extra funds for various reasons, tax season is when all banks roll out their best loan offers – making it an excellent opportunity for low-cost borrowing.
ZA bank launches Tax Loan from 0% APR
When it comes to tax season loans, ZA Bank immediately springs to mind, and this year ZA Bank has pulled out all the stops, allowing borrowers to get a tax loan at an APR as low as 0%¹ based on your "wealth". What’s “wealth”? It's simple – if you use ZA Bank's deposit and investment services to maintain a designated monthly average total account balance, and apply for a Tax Loan of HKD 200,000 or above with a tenor of 12 months or above, you'll qualify for an APR reduction²!
Want to know more? Head to https://bank.za.group/retail-loan/tax-loan or log into the ZA Bank App > Loans > Tax Season Loan right away. This offer is for a limited time only – don't miss out!
To borrow or not to borrow? Borrow only if you can repay!
1. The APR of as low as 0.00% is calculated based on the following assumptions:
(i) User is successfully approved for a Tax Loan of HKD 1,000,000 with a tenor of 12 months and APR of 3.99%;
(ii) User participates in this Tax Loan offer and chooses the target for reducing the APR by 3.99%; and
(iii) User makes timely repayments, reaches the monthly average total account balance target, and gets all interest rebates throughout the entire tenor.
The APR is calculated using the method specified in relevant guidelines issued by the Hong Kong Association of Banks and is rounded up or down to the nearest two decimal places. The APR is a reference rate, which includes the basic interest rates and other fees and charges (if applicable) of a product expressed as an annualised rate.
2. From now until 30 Nov 2025, when applying for a Tax Loan of HKD 200,000 or above with a tenor of 12 months or above, users who select the “APR reduced by up to 3.99%” and pass the final approval can choose his / her target average total account balance for each calendar month during the tenor and its corresponding annualised percentage rate reduction from one of the options below on the loan agreement confirmation page:
(i) Account balance of HKD 1,000,000 or above: APR reduced by 3.99%;
(ii) Account balance of HKD 800,000 or above: APR reduced by 2.99%;
(iii) Account balance of HKD 400,000 or above: APR reduced by 1.99%; or
(iv) Account balance of HKD 200,000 or above: APR reduced by 0.99%.
Once user confirms the loan agreement, the target amount cannot be changed.
Average total account balance is the sum of the Hong Kong dollar equivalent of the following 5 items in each calendar month, and divided by the number of days in that calendar month:
(i) The total amount of deposits (namely the savings account, time deposits and Savings Pot) at the end of every day;
(ii) The total amount of funds at the end of every day;
(iii) The total assets of HK stocks at the end of every day;
(iv) The total asset of US stock at 9:00 PM every day; and
(v) The total asset of crypto at the end of every day.
The average total account balance is calculated on a calendar month basis, starting from the 1st day of each month until 11:59:59 PM on the last day of that month.
User must pay the interest based on the original annualised percentage rate and loan agreement every month. If the target amount for that month is reached, the user will earn an interest rebate on the 8th day of the following calendar month. The interest rebate is the interest difference calculated with reference to the annualised percentage rate reduction selected by the user (i.e. subtracting the total interest payable after the promotional reduction from the total interest payable under the original loan terms), and then distributed equally across each repayment month. Terms and Conditions apply.