A Canterbury rebuild businessman has been sentenced to more than three-years jail - after failing to pay 1.5-million-dollars of employee tax deductions.

47-year-old Libor Lasek was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court today on 44-charges relating to five-building companies.

He didn't pass on PAYE deductions from employee's pay - or KiwiSaver, child support, superannuation or student loan payments over a four-year period.

Inland Revenue's Tony Morris says he showed contempt for the tax system.

He says Lasek was given multiple opportunities to put things right - and took an unfair advantage over building competitors.

Most of the money is unlikely to be recovered.