New Zealand

On 15 September 2026, an Auckland man was sentenced to six months community detention for fraud involving a COVID-19 scheme. The offending related to fraudulent applications for the COVID-19 Resurgence Support Payment and the Wage Subsidy Scheme, administered by Inland Revenue (IR). The sentencing reflects IR’s ongoing commitment to pursuing COVID-19 support scheme fraud, with

On 10 September 2026, the New Zealand courts sentenced an Auckland woman to home detention for tax fraud spanning nine years, while her husband received 26 months imprisonment for the same offending. The case involved significant tax evasion, including the non-payment of PAYE and GST obligations. The judge spared the woman imprisonment due to the

On 28 August 2026, a New Plymouth woman was sentenced to home detention after being convicted of tax evasion. The case underscores the serious consequences of deliberate tax evasion, which involves intentionally underreporting income, overstating deductions, or otherwise misleading Inland Revenue to reduce tax liabilities. Under the Tax Administration Act 1994, tax evasion is a

On 26 August 2026, Inland Revenue (IR) published a media release identifying a coordinated scheme involving fraudulent expense claims and explicitly warning that such conduct constitutes tax fraud under New Zealand law. The alert signals IR’s continued focus on deterring false deductions that erode the integrity of the income tax system. Taxpayers who deliberately claim

IR issues revenue alert highlighting tax evasion risks in horticulture, urging compliance and record verification. Source: Read Original Announcement

On 30 July 2026, a Gisborne couple was sentenced for tax fraud involving Working for Families (WFF) tax credits, Goods and Services Tax (GST), and income tax. The fraud likely entailed false declarations of family circumstances to obtain WFF entitlements, coupled with suppression of business income and manipulation of GST returns. Multi-tax fraud cases are

An Auckland mother of six has been sentenced to home detention after admitting to fraudulently claiming Working for Families Tax Credits (WFTC) to which she was not entitled. The case, revealed in a recent Inland Revenue media release, involved the deliberate submission of false information to the IR, resulting in the improper receipt of tax

Auckland builder has been sentenced following a lengthy investigation by Inland Revenue into deliberate tax evasion. The case, which came to light in July 2026, revealed that the individual had systematically underreported income from construction projects over a period of several years, using a network of shell companies to hide earnings. The Inland Revenue’s sophisticated