Man who put letters from IRD in a pile jailed for tax evasion
Friday 4 May 2007, 6:11PM
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Inland Revenue says it has a duty to the vast majority of honest taxpayers to make sure that rogue operators were brought to account.
The department was commenting after Peter William Bicknell, 36, a self-employed courier driver, from Titirangi, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment yesterday after pleading guilty to tax evasion totalling nearly $150,000.
He was ordered to pay $1500 solicitor's costs and given leave to apply for home detention.
In Waitakere District Court Bicknell faced 73 charges of failing to account for income tax and GST, and failing to file income tax and GST returns.
The court was told he made little effort to pay his taxes and stored letters from Inland Revenue away "in a pile".
He registered for GST in February 1999 but had not paid any tax on his self-employed income or on GST collected over the eight years since then.
The amount involved totalled $143,389.
Bicknell was interviewed by Inland Revenue at the end of 2005 and admitted knowing he must file returns and pay income tax and GST owing.
He told the interviewers he had received many letters from Inland Revenue about his overdue taxes, but he had "put them in a pile".
When asked what efforts he had made to file the returns that were outstanding, he replied "not a lot".
IRD area manager investigations Tracey Lloyd said the prison term was a fair outcome, given the amount of tax evaded over such a long period.
"Taxes are used to fund schools, hospitals, and other government and community services," she said.
"Everybody has to pay their share."
The department was commenting after Peter William Bicknell, 36, a self-employed courier driver, from Titirangi, was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment yesterday after pleading guilty to tax evasion totalling nearly $150,000.
He was ordered to pay $1500 solicitor's costs and given leave to apply for home detention.
In Waitakere District Court Bicknell faced 73 charges of failing to account for income tax and GST, and failing to file income tax and GST returns.
The court was told he made little effort to pay his taxes and stored letters from Inland Revenue away "in a pile".
He registered for GST in February 1999 but had not paid any tax on his self-employed income or on GST collected over the eight years since then.
The amount involved totalled $143,389.
Bicknell was interviewed by Inland Revenue at the end of 2005 and admitted knowing he must file returns and pay income tax and GST owing.
He told the interviewers he had received many letters from Inland Revenue about his overdue taxes, but he had "put them in a pile".
When asked what efforts he had made to file the returns that were outstanding, he replied "not a lot".
IRD area manager investigations Tracey Lloyd said the prison term was a fair outcome, given the amount of tax evaded over such a long period.
"Taxes are used to fund schools, hospitals, and other government and community services," she said.
"Everybody has to pay their share."