Department prosecutor Daniel Phillips told the court that the Department rejected the defence submission that Rangitawa's actions were the result of bumbling incompetence and considered he was well aware of what he was doing.
The sentence appears hefty compared with others given to those who have been convicted of similar offending against the IRD.
Lower Hutt tax adviser Patrick John Renshaw was given 10 months home detention in October last year after pleading guilty to 42 tax charges involving non-payment of PAYE, filing false GST and income tax returns, amounting to more than $345,000.
Christchurch scaffolding businessman Richard Lascelles also avoided jail, despite not paying more than $400,000 in PAYE deductions from work mostly during the Canterbury rebuild.
He was instead sentenced to 18 months' home detention.
At the time Inland Revenue group manager, investigations and advice, Patrick Goggin said Lascelles' offending was particularly disgraceful, given the hardship so many people in the region were experiencing.