PwC referred to Australian police over tax document leak scandal

THE Australian Treasury has referred a confidential document leak scandal involving PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to police, Secretary to the Treasury Steven Kennedy said on Wednesday (May 24).

The government, a PwC Australia client, has accused the firm of sharing confidential information about new anti-tax avoidance measures with its corporate customers to win more business, in what it has called a major breach of trust.

PwC Australia’s chief executive officer stepped down this month and the firm has said it is “committed to learning from our mistakes”.

The firm’s former head of international tax, Peter Collins, improperly used confidential Commonwealth information, and emails tabled in parliament earlier this month revealed “a wide range of individuals” at the firm were privy to the information, said Kennedy.

“In light of these recent revelations and the seriousness of this misconduct, the Treasury has referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police to consider commencement of a criminal investigation,” he said.

The Australian Federal Police and PwC did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. REUTERS