A former New Plymouth company director who used forged documents to try get GST refunds has been sentenced to community detention.
Lee Hinehou Hare was convicted under the Crimes Act 1961 of false accounting, using a forged document and using a document for pecuniary advantage. Under the Tax Administration Act 1994, she was convicted of knowingly providing false information to obtain a GST refund.
She was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court to 6 months community detention and 200 hours community work.
Hare, who was the sole director of Leeda Lifestyle Ltd and operated the Quest apartment franchise in Hamilton from 2011 until the franchise was sold in March 2015, had filed a claim for a $22,582.78 GST refund in December 2016, 21 months after the sale.
Hare then repeatedly supplied forged documents to support the claim, IR spokesperson Karen Whitiskie said.