2007 media releases
Jail term extended for Tauranga tax evader
8 August 2007
Orchard worker Bhupinder Singh was sentenced yesterday in the Tauranga District Court to a further eight months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud and tax evasion charges totalling $80,470.
The 26-year-old was previously sentenced in May 2007 to a jail term of twenty-eight months for similar tax evasion offences totalling $115,000.
The latest jail term is for offences committed in 2005.
Singh operated Brar Horticulture Ltd, which issued invoices to kiwifruit contractors.
''The contractors had already completed the work themselves and been paid, but these invoices enabled the contractors to reduce PAYE and GST payments by claiming to have subcontracted work to Brar Horticulture," said Inland Revenue Investigations Area Manager, Stuart Duff.
''In fact, Brar Horticulture did not do any of the work.''
Singh then cashed the cheques from the contractors at various Bay of Plenty banks. He kept a fee, and returned the rest of the money to the contractors.
When Singh was arrested in October 2005, he was carrying $12,000 cash, and an invoice book that detailed invoices totalling $301,263 issued by Brar Horticulture between 25 August and 6 October 2005.
Singh is one of twelve WesternBay agricultural contractors successfully prosecuted by Inland Revenue, since April 2004, for tax evasion totalling more than $3.5 million.
"This represents a small but significant percentage of the amount of tax evaded nationally each year totalling into the hundreds of millions," said Mr Duff.
"Businesses which dodge tax make it very hard for honest businesses to compete," he said. "We owe it to the vast majority of honest businesses out there to take strong action."
Ends
For further information contact:
Adrienne Perry
Senior Media Advisor
04 890 1698
029 890 1698
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
- 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
- Tiler in court for keeping staff tax payments
- 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
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: 08 Aug 2007
Back to top