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Jailed for various offences including tax fraud
Bradley John Croft appeared in the Hutt Valley District Court on 25 September and was sentenced on 55 charges brought by Inland Revenue (IR), the Police, and Ministry of Social Development.
After taking into account Croft’s guilty plea, attempts at reparation, remorse, and time spent on electronically monitored bail, the Judge sentenced him to 3 years and 3 months’ imprisonment on all charges.
The tax fraud
The IR charges related to tax fraud which occurred over a four-month period between May and August 2020, with some offending also occurring in mid-2021.
In 2020, Croft submitted 12 fraudulent Small Business Cashflow Scheme (SBCS) loan applications knowing that neither he nor the people whose IRD numbers were used, were entitled to the loans.
He also filed four fraudulent GST returns when he knew he was not entitled to the GST refunds as he was not operating a business or undertaking a taxable activity.
Croft also made false amendments to five personal income tax returns and to a Donation Tax Credit (DTC) claim knowing that he was not entitled to the income tax refund or the DTC as he was not self-employed.
In 2021, Croft filed a further four fraudulent income tax returns knowing neither he nor the other people whose IRD numbers he used, were entitled to the income tax refunds.
The amount
Croft obtained $62,600 in SBCS loans from IR and attempted to obtain a further $157,939.28 in SBCS loans, DTC and GST and income tax refunds. The amount received by Croft was used for personal discretionary spending.
The SBCS loan scheme was administered by IR under urgency using a “High Trust” application model to ensure eligible businesses could access funds to support the business in a timely manner.
Last updated:
28 Sep 2025