An Auckland couple have been sent to prison for three years after spending up on jewellery and beauty salon visits instead of paying tax

Mohammed Naseeb and Rehana Ali were sentenced after a judge found they'd evaded about 800-thousand-dollars in tax.

The judge says their bank accounts showed significant spending on things like jewellery, luxury clothing and salon visits at the expense of the taxpayer.

Inland Revenue says the pair faced multiple charges of personal income tax and GST evasion, and failing to account for PAYE for their construction and drainage company.