In a recent case to come before the Building Practitioners Board, a builder has been stuck off after it was revealed he had been imprisoned for tax evasion.

Initially, the builder had undertaken restricted building work for a client and failed to supply a record of work. When the client complained to the builder, he defended the lack of provision by claiming he was incarcerated at the time of request.

The Building Practitioners Board directed further investigations be undertaken to establish whether this was in fact true. The Board discovered the builder had been imprisoned after being found guilty of tax evasion for a period of four years totaling over $550,000 of unpaid tax.

When the Board addressed the evasion and non-provision of the record of work, it held that the builder had undermined the integrity of the profession. Furthermore, the Board put weight on the duration of the builder’s dishonesty and concluded the public safety was best protected by striking the builder off.

This case demonstrates how seriously the building trade takes dishonesty related matters, particularly if the actions have been repeated over time.