A businessman has been jailed 15 months by the District Court for evading profits tax and fined $1.3 million, about half of the tax evaded.

Yu Hin-man, 49, was Hin Lee Plastic Silk Screen Printing's sole proprietor. He instructed his part-time accountant to inflate the purchase in the accounts of his company in 1994-99, and fabricated invoices and delivery orders of the purported suppliers to cover up the inflated purchases for 1997-98. The profits were understated by $17.6 million and the tax evaded amounted to $2.6 million.

The defendant was convicted of 10 counts of tax evasion and one of cheating public revenue.