Tax fraudster Barrie Skinner given parole
Skinner was about six years through his sentence of 8.5 years.
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Barrie Skinner’s latest bid for parole has been successful after the convicted fraudster acknowledged responsibility for his offending.
The 57-year-old was jailed for eight years and six months in 2012 after the High Court at Wellington found him guilty of 80 counts of dishonestly using a document to obtain pecuniary advantage, seven counts of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice and five counts of knowingly providing false information to Inland Revenue.
Skinner had worked alongside David Rowley, who has already been granted parole following his jail sentence. The pair had sold a scheme to clients which they said would “shelter” them from tax payments.
The scheme cost the IRD between $1.8 million and $2.3 million dollars in lost tax – about $1.5 million of which is "uncollectable."
The Parole Board convened by James Thomson reached the view that, if released on special conditions strictly managing his employment, Skinner would pose no undue risk to the safety of the community.
The pair had taken appeals against their convictions to the Supreme Court, which in 2016 unanimously decided the interpretation of the Tax Administration Act that led to their convictions was correct.
The Corrections Department has confirmed Skinner has been released from their custody.
Victoria Young
Thu, 15 Feb 2018
Thu, 15 Feb 2018
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Tax fraudster Barrie Skinner given parole
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