Tax-dodging tradie cops record ban

Record net migration has been putting pressure on the nation's housing market where a shortage of supply has pushed up prices in Auckland. Photo / Greg Bowker

A tax-dodging tradesman has lost his building licence and copped a record three-year ban.

Wairarapa's Cecil Sinclair has a string of criminal convictions - including for dishonesty - dating back almost 50 years, according to the Building Practitioners Board.

The board has now cancelled his building licence after it was revealed Sinclair was convicted of 91 charges for tax evasion that spanned a decade.

Only licensed building practitioners can do certain construction jobs, such as structural or weathertightness work.

The board believed that Sinclair's tax evasion, which happened between 2001 and 2011, reflected negatively on his fitness to do and supervise building work.

That work often involves handling client funds or credit arrangements, the board said.

Sinclair cannot get another licence for three years - the longest ban imposed since the licensing scheme came into force in 2012.

Registrar of Building Practitioner Licensing Paul Hobbs said the decision should send a clear message that dishonest or fraudulent behaviour is not acceptable in today's building industry.

"It's important consumers are able to feel confident in the integrity of their licensed builder, and decisions such as this one help protect the strength and reputation of the industry as it grows," Hobbs.

It is not the first time the board has taken action against builders.
Last year it cancelled the license of a Napier man for incompetent work and suspended another who took a "cavalier attitude towards building compliance".