Tax form offences cost man his job

Press, 30 July 1986, Page 50

Tax form offences cost man his job

PA Wellington A man asked by a friend to help expose inadequacies in the Inland Revenue Department had lost his job as a result of his stupidity, counsel, Mr Peter McKnight, told the District Court at Wellington.

The man, aged 24, admitted seven charges of forgery and was remanded by Judge Jains to August 18 for sentence. Publication of his name was suppressed in the meantime.

Sergeant W. T. Jaques said that between January 1 and 7 the man completed seven Inland Revenue Department 1RD595 forms in false

names and signed them with a false signature. The form was the application for obtaining a tax number, and on each of the seven occasions a tax number had been sent to the post office box given with the application for a tax pack.

Sergeant Jaques said the man, when spoken to by the police on May 21 and again on July 10, had declined to answer any questions. He had since co-operated fully with the police.

Mr McKnight said a friend of the man had been dismissed from the Inland Revenue Department, had sought legal advice and intended initi-

ating an action against the department. The friend wanted to show the department in a bad light by exposing certain inadequacies. One such inadequacy was that anyone could apply for an I.R.D. number.

"The friend asked the defendant to fill out the application forms for the I.R.D. numbers,” Mr McKnight said. “This he did. There was absolutely no gain for the defendant. There was no loss at all to the Inland Revenue Department apart from the seven tax packs. For this stupidity the defendant has suffered greatly. He has lost his employment