A Christchurch businessman has been sentenced to 18 months' home detention for failing to pay more than $400,000 in PAYE tax deductions.
Richard Lascelles has also been ordered to repay $180,000 in reparations.
Lascelles, who operated scaffolding businesses, last year pleaded guilty to 34 charges of aiding and abetting three companies to knowingly apply PAYE deductions, other than for payment to Inland Revenue.
Inland Revenue group manager of investigations and advice Patrick Goggin said Lascelles thought he could get away with pocketing deductions from his workers' pay packets, but was mistaken.
Mr Goggin said the offending was particularly disgraceful, given the hardship so many people in Canterbury had experienced.
