2005 media releases

Date	Title and description
16 December 2005	Tip-off leads to jail sentence for dishonest tax agent
	Unqualified North Shore book keeper & tax agent Linda Lamont (39) was today sentenced to three and a half years in prison in the Wellington District Court, after pleading guilty to charges of changing and using documents with intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage or benefit.
19 December 2005	Family assistance payments to be available early
	Family assistance payments will be available earlier over the Christmas and New Year period. Inland Revenue will make the weekly and fortnightly payments on Friday 23 December, and Friday 30 December 2005 instead of the normal payment dates of Tuesday, 27 December 2005, and Tuesday 03 January 2006.
15 December 2005	Inland Revenue releases new tax rules for people who host boarders
	New tax rules for people who host paying boarders will simplify the process. Under a new practice coming into effect from the 2007 income year (generally starting on 1 April 2006), tax liability will be based on the amount of income received, rather than the number of boarders in a household.
13 December 2005	GST fraud gets jail sentence for Auckland property developer
	Auckland property developer Gavin Richard Harris, 47, was today sentenced to two and a half years' in prison in the Auckland District Court, after pleading guilty to a representative charge of using documents with intent to obtain a pecuniary advantage or benefit.
11 November 2005	Inland Revenue seeks owners of forgotten money
	More than 5,000 people could be in for a welcome surprise. Inland Revenue has around $4.8 million of forgotten and abandoned money waiting to be distributed to its owners.
17 October 2005	Family Assistance Payments to be made early
	Due to the Labour Day holiday on Monday 24 October, Inland Revenue has made arrangements for the family assistance weekly and fortnightly payment due on Tuesday 25 October to be paid and available this Saturday 22 October.
11 October 2005	High Wealth programme brings in millions of extra tax dollars
	Nearly $36 million worth of additional tax has been identified, assessed and paid during the past year, thanks to Inland Revenue's High Wealth Individual programme.
27 September 2005	Identity theft, fraud lead to jail for Palmerston North man
	A 36-year-old man was today sentenced at Palmerston North District Court to three years and nine months in prison, for fraudulently obtaining nearly $365,000 from Inland Revenue, using multiple instances of identity theft.
22 September 2005	Reimbursement for the use of a private motor vehicle
	Employers may use published mileage rates to reimburse employees who use their own vehicles for work purposes.
5 September 2005	Hamilton man sentenced on tax fraud
	A 59-year-old Hamilton man and the company he controls were today sentenced in Hamilton District Court to a total of $15,000 on 32 tax evasion charges, involving over $190,000 of undeclared income.
11 August 2005	Auckland consultant gets 12 months in jail for GST fraud
	An Auckland tax and property consultant was yesterday sentenced to 12 months in prison, in a case that demonstrates computers can hold important evidence in tax prosecutions.
2 August 2005	Inland Revenue signs Hewlett Packard to supply Notebook Computers
	Inland Revenue announced today that it has signed a strategic agreement with Hewlett Packard New Zealand (HP) for the supply and support of Notebook computers.
8 July 2005	Tauranga man jailed for horticultural tax evasion
	A 26 year-old company director has been sentenced today in the Tauranga District Court to two-and-a-half years jail for tax evasion.
6 July 2005	New Zealand and Australian tax help for business
	A range of web-based information to help New Zealand and Australian businesses with their tax affairs has been released by Inland Revenue and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
5 July 2005	Salary and wage earners: are you entitled to a tax refund?
	Some salary or wage earners may be entitled to a tax refund, Inland Revenue is advising taxpayers.
5 July 2005	Some seasonal workers entitled to tax refunds
	There are situations where taxpayers have overpaid tax during the year and may be able to receive a refund, advises Inland Revenue.
14 June 2005	Auckland barrister jailed for tax evasion
	A jail sentence imposed on an Auckland barrister and solicitor today sends out a strong message to anyone planning to evade tax, says Inland Revenue Auckland North Service Centre manager, Richard Philp.
13 June 2005	Inland Revenue reminding Marlborough agriculturalists
	Inland Revenue has identified a risk to New Zealand's revenue in the Marlborough agricultural and viticultural sectors and is reminding growers and contractors to ensure they understand and meet their tax requirements.
10 June 2005	Inland Revenue Appoints Chief Information Officer (IT)
	Inland Revenue today appointed Ross Hughson to the new role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the department.
9 June 2005	Incident at Upper Hutt Processing Centre
	Yesterday, Inland Revenue alerted Police and New Zealand Post to a threatening phone call to staff from a Napier man, which has turned out to be a false alarm.
3 June 2005	Forged GST claim leads to eight-month prison sentence
	Inland Revenue welcomes the eight-month sentence for tax evasion the Tauranga District Court has handed down to a local man today.
19 May 2005	Inland Revenue offers help to flood affected BOP businesses
	With PAYE due tomorrow for many businesses, Inland Revenue is encouraging any employers affected by flooding to contact the department as soon as possible if they are unable to submit their payments on time.
13 May 2005	Auckland Man jailed for tax fraud
	A 45 year-old Auckland man, who flew to the US to avoid prosecution for tax fraud, has been sentenced in the Auckland High Court today.
27 April 2005	Inland Revenue releases view on HHG capital reduction proposals
	Inland Revenue has released its preliminary view on the tax implications arising from the proposed capital reduction proposals related to the sale of HHG plc's life services business to Life Company Investor Group Limited.
26 April 2005	Prison sentence for tax evasion
	Palmerston North District Court has reinforced Inland Revenue's firm stance on tax evasion, handing down a prison sentence to a Palmerston North couple found guilty of ignoring their tax obligations for four years.
19 April 2005	Early Family Assistance Payments
	Due to ANZAC weekend Inland Revenue has made arrangements for the Family Assistance weekly and fortnightly payment due on Tuesday 26 April to be paid and available this Saturday 23 April.
6 April 2005	Nine years of tax evasion brings 18 month sentence for New Plymouth bricklayer
	Inland Revenue has welcomed an 18 month prison sentence handed down for tax evasion in the New Plymouth District Court today. David Rowan, a self-employed bricklayer, was convicted on three charges of tax evasion to the value of $59,074.25.
31 March 2005	Tax season now underway
	With the tax season underway, Inland Revenue is reminding taxpayers that they may have end-of-year tax obligations.
29 March 2005	Are you eligible for a childcare rebate?
	With the tax season for 2005 about to get underway, Inland Revenue is reminding parents that they may be able to claim a rebate for childcare costs and school fees.
21 March 2005	Early Family Assistance Payments
	Due to the Easter holidays Inland Revenue has made arrangements for the Family Assistance fortnightly payment due on Tuesday, 29 March to be paid and available this Friday, 25 March.
15 March 2005	Inland Revenue signs agreement with TelstraClear
	Inland Revenue and TelstraClear last night signed a six year telecommunications services outsourcing agreement.
4 March 2005	Inland Revenue cautions against income splitting by professionals
	Inland Revenue today warned professional and other people who are reducing their taxable income by operating through trading trusts, that the arrangements may be subject to review by the Department, and to consider taking advice.
1 March 2005	Inland Revenue welcomes sentence for Hamilton PAYE offence
	Inland Revenue yesterday welcomed a community service sentence handed down in the Hamilton District Court to the owner of an engineering firm who failed to account for PAYE.
18 February 2005	Cambridge students scoop national award for tax knowledge
	Two students from Cambridge High School will next week be awarded the Inland Revenue prize for tax knowledge in Enterprise New Zealand’s financial literacy programme for 2004.
11 February 2005	US, NZ agree on tax treatment of fiscally transparent entities
	United States and New Zealand tax authorities have agreed to allow fiscally transparent entities owned by US and NZ residents to benefit from the double tax agreement between the two countries, the Inland Revenue Department announced today.
2 February 2005	7 February payment deadline
	The due date for end-of-year tax bills and other payments is 7 February, Inland Revenue reminded taxpayers today.
25 January 2005	Theft of Westpac courier bag - advice to taxpayers and other Inland Revenue customers
	Inland Revenue today issued advice to taxpayers and other customers who may have been affected by the theft of a Westpac courier bag in Auckland.
21 January 2005	Inland Revenue not letting up on BoP tax evasion
	Inland Revenue today recorded its sixth successful prosecution for tax evasion in the Bay of Plenty in the past year.
14 January 2005	Inland Revenue outlines rebate claim process for tsunami donations
	Inland Revenue today outlined the process around claiming a rebate for donations made to tsunami relief funds.
12 January 2005	Inland Revenue welcomes sentence in $40,000 evasion case
	Inland Revenue has welcomed the sentencing of horticultural contractor Wendy Robyn Harrison, to 300 hours of community service, handed down by the Hastings District Court for evasion charges relating to approximately $40,000 in outstanding PAYE.