2009 media releases
Wellington accountant sentenced on tax fraud charges
27 February 2009
A Wellington accountant and tax agent has been sentenced to six months home detention on tax fraud charges involving $183,155.
Graham Edward McCready was sentenced today in the Wellington District Court by Judge Behrens after earlier admitting 12 charges of providing false GST and income tax returns.
Inland Revenue Acting Group Manager, Assurance, Graham Tubb, said McCready abused his position and betrayed the trust of his clients.
"McCready deliberately set out to try to cheat the system for his own personal gain. Both Inland Revenue and the courts both take a very dim view of this sort of action."
"Our tax system relies on the honesty of the many professionals working in it, and both Inland Revenue and the public expect them to help uphold its integrity," said Mr Tubb.
McCready created business activities, and manufactured or overstated expenses for a number of his clients, in order to generate artificial income tax and GST refunds.
The clients had relied on McCready's advice and believed him when he told them they were entitled to the refunds. However, they often had no knowledge of which returns were being filed on their behalf or their contents, when the filing took place, or what refunds had been paid out by Inland Revenue.
In almost all cases, the bank account details McCready provided to Inland Revenue were his own, and when refunds were paid into the account he rarely passed them on to the individuals involved.
Instead, he used money from the refunds to pay his own personal bills.
Income tax refunds claimed, and other tax evaded by McCready through other taxpayers, amounted to $92,320. GST refunds totalled $90,835.
For further information:
Adrienne Perry
(04) 890 1698
(029) 890 1698
adrienne.perry@ird.govt.nz
Other media releases this year
- Lower Hutt man sentenced for tax evasion
- Two jailed for multi-million dollar tax fraud
- High Court ruling on Westpac case
- Christchurch man jailed for GST fraud
- Tsunami donations tax credits
- Former Queenstown man jailed on tax evasion charges
- Jail for $5 million tax fraud
- Tiler jailed for $1.6 million tax evasion
- Online service makes tax refunds easier
- Inland Revenue welcomes High Court decision
- Auckland property consultant jailed for tax fraud
- Te Kuiti accountant jailed for 12 months for tax evasion
- Property developer sentenced for GST fraud
- Wellington man sentenced for tax fraud
- Man jailed for GST fraud
- Helping you get it right
- Last day for tax returns fast approaching
- Auckland man sentenced on GST fraud charges
- GST fraudster convicted again
- New Plymouth woman jailed for fraud
- Christchurch man sentenced on tax offences
- Extradited tax fraudster sentenced to home detention
- Jail for multimillion dollar tax fraud
- Thousands of people eligible for unclaimed millions
- Inland Revenue appeals High Court decision
- Inland Revenue considers voluntary redundancies
- Talk to us, says Commissioner of Inland Revenue
- Apply now for the provisional tax ratio option
- Keep IRD numbers confidential
- Avoid unexpected GST bills on apartment sales
- Nelson man jailed for tax evasion
- Stay informed about KiwiSaver changes
- Tax payment date fast approaching
- Former tax agent employee sentenced for fraud
Corporate Communications
Inland Revenue
For all media enquiries phone: 04 890 1698
For general communications enquiries
Phone: (04) 890 1936
Email: corpcomm@ird.govt.nz
Fax: (04) 498 5809
P O Box 2198
12-22 Hawkestone Street
Wellington
New Zealand
Date published: 27 Feb 2009
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