BUCK PASSING IS MORALLY BANKRUPT

New Zealand First has condemned the Solicitor-General’s reported advice to the IRD to NOT recover dodged taxes nor to pursue prosecutions relating to the Winebox transactions.

The Leader, Rt Hon Winston Peters, has described the decision as “illegal and immoral buck passing and further illustration that the rich and powerful can dodge their taxes while the rest of us get hounded for the last cent.

“The law clearly obliges the IRD to collect the tax and to mount prosecutions. Now the buck has been passed to the Serious Fraud Office which MUST prosecute in fairness to all New Zealand taxpayers.

“There can be no other tax collector in the world that refuses to collect taxes because it is too hard.

“Not only must the SFO prosecute, the IRD must also collect the outstanding taxes which amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. I urge the Government to take the only ethical decision available and ensure these actions are pursued,” Mr Peters said.

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