2007 media releases

Tiler in court for keeping staff tax payments
30 April 2007

A Christchurch man was fined a total of $7920 in the Christchurch District court today on tax fraud charges.

Amir Kouzehgari, aged 36, and his tiling company PARS Tiling (South Island) Limited, each pleaded guilty to nine charges. The company, of which Mr Kouzehgari was the sole director and shareholder, had earlier pleaded guilty to failing to account for PAYE tax deductions taken from his employees' wages. Mr Kouzehgari was charged with nine counts of aiding and abetting his company's offence.

The company was convicted and discharged. Mr Kouzehgari was fined $750 plus $130 court costs on each of the nine charges.

Mr Kouzehgari was running a tiling business that had up to 10 employees. From 31 May 2005 to 31 January 2006 he deducted $46,672 in tax from his staff pay packets, but didn’t pass the tax onto the Inland Revenue.

When he was interviewed by Inland Revenue the defendant acknowledged that he knew that the money should have been passed on. At the earlier hearing the court was told that between May 2005 and February 2006 Mr Kouzehgari took nearly $60,000 from his company bank account for his own personal drawings.

Lynley Sutherland, of Inland Revenue, said people who cheat on their taxes make it very difficult for honest businesses to compete.

"Taxes help pay for important community services like schools, hospitals, and the police," said Ms Sutherland, Area Manager Investigations, Inland Revenue. "If someone evades tax, we all miss out.

"The sentence showed that the courts consider evading PAYE is especially serious. That's because the money is held in trust on behalf of employees. If an employer doesn't pay the PAYE to Inland Revenue, but spends it somewhere else, that's theft."

Businesses who want to put their tax affairs in order should contact their local Inland Revenue office, said Ms Sutherland. "The first thing you should do is file your returns, even if you can't pay the tax owing. In most cases, we can arrange for you to pay your tax by instalments over a period of time."

For further information contact:

Alison Welch
Senior Media Advisor

029 890 1930

Other media releases this year

• Draft guidelines released for new R&D tax credit
• Man extradited from Australia to face tax charges
• Working for Families Tax Credits to be made early
• Inland Revenue alerts tax professionals
• 'Money man' behind major tax scam jailed
• Third conviction in Rawleigh tax evasion case
• Samoan chief receives two years' home detention
• Early working for families tax credits scheduled
• Cash businesses are in the spotlight
• Inland Revenue transfers first KiwiSaver funds to scheme providers
• Late filers advised to contact Inland Revenue
• Wellington Inland Revenue staff to centralise
• Christchurch businessman fined $20,000 on tax charges
• Hamilton JP jailed for two years for $1.1 million tax evasion
• Businessman pleads guilty to $1.3 million in tax charges
• Jail term extended for Tauranga tax evader
• Inland Revenue offers Language Line
• Inland Revenue wins prestigious IT award
• Inland Revenue simplifies tax with Business Is Booming
• Inland Revenue reassures people affected by weather
• Customers urged to contact Inland Revenue
• Inland Revenue issues GST statement on unconditional property sale agreements
• KiwiSaver information readily available from Inland Revenue
• Scott Anderson bankrupted for unpaid debt of $13 million
• Inland Revenue welcomes 'Trinity' court ruling
• Christchurch tourism operators' concern leads to community service for tax evader
• Inland Revenue welcomes prison sentence for GST fraud
• Levin man sent to jail over $45,000 in GST fraud
• Businessman who "undercut the opposition" jailed for tax fraud
• Accountant's low profits prompted tax audit
• "Not a lot" of effort to pay taxes results in jail term for tax evasion
• Northland flood victims should call if having problems with tax payments
• Tax agent fined $10,000 for refusing to cooperate with Inland Revenue
• Early Working for Families Tax Credits payments
• Nelson man in court for not passing on employees' tax payments
• Tax season underway
• Businesses foolish to try to suppress details of income
• Dairy owner in court for cheating on taxes over seven years
• Two years' prison for 146 tax offences
• Refusing to cooperate with Inland Revenue lands couple in court
• Prison sentence upholds integrity of tax system, says Inland Revenue
• Early family assistance payments
• Tax payments due on 7 February

more media releases ›

Corporate Affairs
Inland Revenue

To make a media query:
Phone 04 890 1698 or email mediaqueries@ird.govt.nz
Please note, the email address is only for enquiries from the news media. It is monitored during normal business hours 8am - 5pm Monday to Friday.

P O Box 2198
Wellington 6140
New Zealand

Date published: 01 May 2007

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