Melanie Jill Tatana, director of Asia Pacific Group Limited, has been sentenced to three years in prison for one of the most severe tax evasion cases seen in Christchurch District Court in two decades.
Tatana (also known as Melanie Jill Smith), whose firm specialised in asbestos removal and labour hire, was found guilty of diverting over $1.6 million in PAYE deductions from workers’ wages, failing to pass these to Inland Revenue on 63 occasions between 2019 and 2022.
Instead, more than $800,000 was funnelled to Tatana’s personal accounts, including her daughter’s, alongside misuse of Covid-19 wage subsidies and government support funds.
Judge Michael Crosbie condemned the actions as deliberate theft rather than financial mismanagement, citing Tatana’s disregard for multiple warnings from Inland Revenue.
He highlighted the need for a strict sentence to deter such fraud, warning that if similar actions were widespread, society would face financial chaos.
Tatana’s lack of remorse and the ongoing non-payment despite several red flags underscored the judge’s decision to impose the maximum penalty possible.
Image credit: Jon Tyson
Wet bus ticket. Message; the trade off is worth it.
Yeah 3 years is nothing for this type of fraud. An all expenses paid holiday meals and accommodations.
You can maim or kill people and get home detention but don’t mess with the tax man. Just think of those poor politicians, who need a free trip to Bali, to kick back and relax.
Taxation is theft. Government just prints money nowadays and tax is used to make people believe they are paying for roads and hospitals.
It’s the central banks that has the printing press. Its the government that creates the “need” for new currency (inflationary) and the central bank that “materializes” it. Our taxes (legalized theft) goes to pay the interest on that new fiat currency creation.