Christchurch businessman Hayden Jones sentenced to six months home detention for not passing on staff's tax deductions

Hayden Jones with a bottle of Matson's Quake Lager. Photo / File

A Christchurch booze baron who admitted his role in a $380,000 tax dodge has been sentenced to six months home detention and community work.

Hayden George Jones, 43, who was behind various breweries and bars in Christchurch that suffered after the earthquakes, was today sentenced in the Christchurch District Court for not passing on staff tax deductions for four years.

Between December 2010 and June 2014, Jones did not hand over $381,325 in PAYE deductions.

The charges involve seven of his companies: Matson's Brewery NZ Ltd, Matson's BWS Ltd, Swiggers South Brighton Ltd, NZH3 Ltd, Swiggers Hoon Hay Ltd, The Pier Limited, and the Hibernian Hotel Ltd.

Inland Revenue spokesperson Karen Whitiskie said Jones' offending was a "threat to the integrity of the tax system".

"Jones isn't a newbie in the business world. He's been the director of 34 companies since 1997. He was a registered director of each of the companies involved in this case and a signatory on the bank account of each. He could have fixed this, but chose not to," Whitiskie said.

"It wasn't a temporary slip. It was premeditated and prolonged. He deducted the money from his staff's wages but didn't pass it on to IR."

Back in 2014 Jones was convicted of four offences of failing to file financial statements under the Financial Reporting Act and fined $35,000.

"Jones' sentencing today should serve as a deterrent to anyone else thinking of holding on to their staff's PAYE deductions," Whitiskie said.

The maximum penalty on each of the seven charges is imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or a fine not exceeding $50,000, or both.

Before sentencing Hayden Jones offered to make a reparation payment of $205,000 which defence counsel Jonathan Eaton QC said amounts to "full reparation" for his client.

He will now do 200 hours community work as well as home detention.