An Auckland man has been sentenced to 11 months in prison after he attempted to get seven GST refunds worth a combined quarter-million dollars that he was not entitled to.
William Ricco Solomon registered as a sole trader and received a New Zealand Business Number, before registering for GST in September 2020 and beginning monthly filing.
He submitted GST returns from two myIR accounts between November 2023 and May 2024, trying to get $247,665.48. However, no money was released to him.
Solomon amended the figures multiple times in some returns and assessed how this would impact the refund amount before finalising the return, Inland Revenue systems showed.
Inland Revenue began an audit in March 2024. Bank statements were obtained that showed no evidence of any business activity and/or deposits and withdrawals that matched the amounts submitted in the GST returns.
Some documents provided as evidence of business activity were fake and two traders named by Solomon in the fake documents said they'd never traded with him.
Solomon appeared in the Auckland District Court for sentencing on June 19.
Judge Retzlaff’s starting point was 17 months in prison. After discounts for Solomon’s guilty plea, time spent in custody and personal circumstances, an end point of 11 months’ imprisonment was reached.
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