2009 media releases

Date	Title and description
11 November 2009	Lower Hutt man sentenced for tax evasion
	The Lower Hutt owner of a spray painting business has been sentenced to 10 months home detention and community work of 250 hours for tax evasion of almost $250,000.
4 November 2009	Two jailed for multi-million dollar tax fraud
	Two Auckland men behind multi-million dollar schemes in the agricultural industry have each been jailed for two years for tax evasion.
8 October 2009	High Court ruling on Westpac case
	Inland Revenue has welcomed a ruling from the High Court in Auckland ordering Westpac to pay $961 million in back taxes.
2 October 2009	Christchurch man jailed for GST fraud
	A Christchurch property developer has been jailed for two and a half years for GST fraud of more than $660,000.
2 October 2009	Tsunami donations tax credits
	Many people making donations for tsunami relief could be eligible for a tax credit.
25 September 2009	Former Queenstown man jailed on tax evasion charges
	A Dunedin man, formerly from Queenstown, has been jailed for 12 months for evading income tax and goods and service tax.
17 August 2009	Jail for $5 million tax fraud
	A Tauranga man behind a $5 million fraud in the agricultural industry has been jailed for two years and 10 months.
14 August 2009	Tiler jailed for $1.6 million tax evasion
	A West Auckland tiler has been jailed for three years and four months on tax evasion charges involving $1,617,705.
28 July 2009	Online service makes tax refunds easier
	Salary and wage earners can now confirm their 2009 personal tax summary online and get their tax refund more quickly.
16 July 2009	Inland Revenue welcomes High Court decision
	The Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Robert Russell, has welcomed the High Court ruling that BNZ must pay $416 million in back taxes.
9 July 2009	Auckland property consultant jailed for tax fraud
	An Auckland property consultant and former chartered accountant has been jailed for two and a half years for evading tax estimated to exceed $200,000.
7 July 2009	Te Kuiti accountant jailed for 12 months for tax evasion
	A Te Kuiti accountant and businessman has been sentenced to 12 months jail after failing to pass on PAYE deductions from staff over a six year period.
30 June 2009	Property developer sentenced for GST fraud
	A Paraparaumu property developer has received 12 months home detention for GST fraud of over $200,000.
23 June 2009	Wellington man sentenced for tax fraud
	A Wellington company director has received 12 months home detention for tax fraud involving more than $270,000.
17 June 2009	Man jailed for GST fraud
	A Mt Maunganui man who used wage records from his mother’s former company to falsely register people for GST has been sentenced to 18 months jail.
11 June 2009	Helping you get it right
	Inland Revenue has for the first time unveiled the areas it will focus on in the year ahead to make sure people get their taxes right, and claim correct social support payments.
9 June 2009	Last day for tax returns fast approaching
	Inland Revenue is reminding people that many income tax returns for the 2008-09 year must be filed by 7 July 2009.
3 June 2009	Auckland man sentenced on GST fraud charges
	An Auckland man has received 12 months home detention for filing false GST returns and claiming refunds of over $100,000.
29 May 2009	GST fraudster convicted again
	An Auckland man has been sentenced to 15 months jail for fraud involving GST returns.
29 May 2009	New Plymouth woman jailed for fraud
	The former manager of Surf Life Saving Taranaki has been jailed for three years and six months on a number of charges, including tax fraud of over $60,000.
22 May 2009	Christchurch man sentenced on tax offences
	A Christchurch taxi operator has been sentenced to 12 months home detention for failure to account for PAYE deductions of more than $300,000.
15 May 2009	Extradited tax fraudster sentenced to home detention
	A former dairy owner, extradited from Australia to face tax fraud charges, has been sentenced to nine months home detention.
7 May 2009	Jail for multimillion dollar tax fraud
	A multimillion dollar tax fraud has led to six and a half years jail for a Hawkes Bay agricultural contractor.
1 May 2009	Thousands of people eligible for unclaimed millions
	Thousands of people may be in for an unexpected bonus following publication of the latest list of owners of unclaimed money on Inland Revenue's website.
29 April 2009	Inland Revenue appeals High Court decision
	Inland Revenue is appealing the recent Penny and Hooper decision in the Christchurch High Court, which rejected the department's argument that the two surgeons' income allocation arrangements amounted to tax avoidance.
22 April 2009	Inland Revenue considers voluntary redundancies
	The Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Robert Russell, has advised staff that unions are being consulted about a plan to call for up to 250 voluntary redundancies.
18 March 2009	Talk to us, says Commissioner of Inland Revenue
	The Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Robert Russell, is urging customers finding it difficult to pay their taxes in the current economic climate to contact the department at the earliest opportunity.
9 March 2009	Apply now for the provisional tax ratio option
	People wanting to use the "ratio option" to calculate their 2010 provisional tax must apply to Inland Revenue by the end of this month.
6 March 2009	Keep IRD numbers confidential
	Inland Revenue is urging people to be careful about giving out their IRD number and other personal details.
27 February 2009	Wellington accountant sentenced on tax fraud charges
	A Wellington accountant and tax agent has been sentenced to six months home detention on tax fraud charges involving $183,155.
23 February 2009	Avoid unexpected GST bills on apartment sales
	People selling investment apartments need to make sure they're aware of all the tax issues involved, to avoid unexpected GST bills.
3 February 2009	Nelson man jailed for tax evasion
	A Nelson man has been jailed for two years and three months on tax fraud charges.
2 February 2009	Stay informed about KiwiSaver changes
	People joining KiwiSaver should make sure they are fully informed about the changes coming into effect from 1 April 2009.
27 January 2009	Tax payment date fast approaching
	Business and individual taxpayers, who do not have a tax agent, are reminded their end-of-year tax payments are due on 7 February 2009.
15 January 2009	Former tax agent employee sentenced for fraud
	A former tax agent employee convicted of fraud and using some of the money for overseas travel has been sentenced to home detention and community service.