Brewery negotiates with IRD after earthquake address mix-up

West Coast Brewery Company founder, Paddy Sweeney, has until the end of next month to negotiate with the Inland Revenue Department over unpaid taxes.

The IRD applied in the High Court at Christchurch on Tuesday to liquidate his company.

The court adjourned the case until May 29 to give the parties time to try to reach a resolution.

Queensland-based Mr Sweeney told The News last month the situation arose from a mix-up over the company's Christchurch address following the February 2011 earthquake.

He said the West Coast Brewery had had an arrangement with the IRD to pay a historic tax debt. The IRD had sent the subsequent demands to his company's Antigua Street address, but the West Coast Brewery had had to move its head office and its accountants had not advised IRD of the change of address.

Mr Sweeney last week refused further comment to The News, saying the media had caused his company "severe embarrassment''. "It's business as usual at The West Coast Brewery and I'm not prepared to comment because you would stuff it up with bloody wrong information and lies,'' he said.

Mr Sweeney founded the West Coast Brewery Company in 2007 to buy Westport's boutique Miner's Brewery, which he renamed the West Coast Brewery.

He enlisted other investors, raising $3 million in 2008, opened a bottle store, bought a Christchurch bar and built the West Coast Bar and Grill, also in Christchurch.

The Greymouth Star reported last month that the largest West Coast investor stood to lose just under $40,000. It said many of the 317 shareholders were people who knew Mr Sweeney.

- Westport News