FALSE TAX RETURNS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28630, 5 July 1958, Page 4

FALSE TAX RETURNS

Farmer Fined £4BO (New Zealand Press Association) NEW PLYMOUTH, July 4. Louis Babington, aged 70, a farmer and formerly an insurance agent as well, now living at Manurewa, but once of Eltham, was convicted by Mr A. W. Yortt, S.M., at New Plymouth today on eight charges of wilfully making false income returns. It was stated that in the 11 years—l94l-1951—investigated by the Inland Revenue Department, Babington *s taxation returns showed a discrepancy of more than £18,200. The total income returned for the period was £18,139. In some years there were gains and, in some years, losses, but, according to figures presented by counsel for the department (Mr J. P. Quilliam) Babington’s complete returns for the period showed a loss of £6B. The charges before the Court related to the eight years 1944-51. In these years, the total incomes return amounted to an overall loss of £4OO. The true income was stated to be £14.200. leaving the discrepancy at £14,600.

Babington, whose defence was that the discrepancies were not made wilfully, was fined £4BO. £6O on each charge. The Magistrate ruled that the returns were wilfully misleading in each of the years under review. The returns were grossly distorted, he said. In the last few years. Babington, through attachments on his dairy company cheques, had paid the department more than £3OOO.