Pukekohe Woman Sentenced On Tax Evasion

A Pukekohe woman who ran a business supplying workers to harvest fruit and vegetables for growers was sentenced to home detention for tax evasion.

Haitelenisia Kaumavae appeared for sentence in the Pukekohe District Court on 23 September having plead guilty to 4 representative charges of tax evasion for aiding and abetting the company M & H Kaumavae Ltd (M&H).

Based on returns filed by defence counsel in November last year, Kaumavae evaded $1,487,359.41 in GST, PAYE, and income tax.

Inland Revenue told the Court that the case is a wilful example of repeated fraud, depriving the wider public of a substantial sum of money.

The offending was repetitive and pre-meditated, with income tax returns not filed for four consecutive years, GST returns either not filed or false returns filed over a three-year period, and PAYE returns not filed over a 40-month period.

A review of the bank accounts showed that invoices were issued by M&H to growers which charged for the labour of others, included a deduction of 15% withholding tax, and were inclusive of GST.

The Judge acknowledged that while it was undoubtedly serious offending, Kaumavae gained no personal profit due to her cultural obligations.

Kaumavae was sentenced to 9 months home detention with 6 months post detention conditions and reparation of $6,500 at a weekly rate to be set by the Registrar.

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