A Stokes Valley painter and decorator has been sentenced to community detention on tax evasion charges.
Victor Thomas Troke plead guilty to two representative charges of trying to evade paying GST and income tax, over several years. Total core tax evaded was $134,766.87
He was sentenced on 02 August at the Hutt Valley District Court to 6 months community detention, and 250 hours community work. He was ordered to pay $26,000 in reparations.
Inland Revenue contacted Troke regularly from 2015 about this tax compliance issues and in 2017 he was bankrupted with significant tax debt.
An undischarged bankrupt must get permission from the Official Assignee before they can manage or control any business. Troke didn’t get that permission but continued painting and decorating services under the business name “Decorum Paint Finishes”.
He didn’t re-register for GST but still charged and received GST, and didn’t file any returns or make any GST payments.
In an interview with Inland Revenue, Troke admitted his business activity and issuing GST invoices to his customers. He said he knew he had to file returns and pay income tax but had not.
Troke said the money was spent on his family including paying to send his children overseas for sports.
He also admitted that he “knew the day would come” when he’d end up in court.