KEY POINTS:
Inland Revenue is welcoming the jail term of two years and nine months handed down to Muhammad Hussain for his part in the biggest horticultural industry tax scam ever prosecuted.
The Western Bay of Plenty orchard worker, who pleaded guilty to 61 tax evasion charges in Tauranga District Court, was formerly employed by Mohammed Wasim, the so-called "money man" behind a $15 million tax fraud scheme.
Wasim, 39, who was already behind bars for bigamy, was sentenced to five years and nine months' jail in November after admitting 81 counts of evading an estimated $15,080,861 in tax.
Between April 1, 2004, and October 31, 2006, Wasim was the kingpin of the tax scam involving horticultural contractors in the Bay of Plenty.
It was the biggest tax fraud IRD had prosecuted in the horticultural sector.
Wasim will have to serve a minimum non-parole period of three years and then will be deported back to Pakistan.
IRD assurance manager Raju Budhia said that as a result of Hussain's actions, more than $440,000 of GST and PAYE was estimated to have been evaded by agricultural contractors.
The court heard that when Hussain was arrested in Napier in April last year on unrelated matters, he had more than $40,000 on him as well as invoice books that became important pieces of evidence in the IRD's investigation.
Mr Budhia said the IRD had the skills and resources to detect taxpayers trying to evade their taxes.
IRD confirmed there are still a number of others allegedly involved in the horticultural tax scam whose cases are before the courts or under investigation.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
