Australia’s tax office reported “significant concerns” to the nation’s police force as far back as 2018 after PricewaterhouseCoopers blocked its requests for more information about its involvement in the tax scandal that’s engulfed the consulting giant.
Some global firms had acted “suspiciously and quickly” following the introduction of an anti-tax avoidance law that came into force at the start of 2016, Australian Tax Office commissioner Chris Jordan said in a parliamentary hearing late Tuesday.
Hearings in Canberra this month are shedding light on details surrounding the scandal that’s threatening to cause further damage to PwC Australia’s reputation. They follow revelations that one of its former senior partners obtained secret information on tax policy while advising the government, and subsequently leaked it to colleagues who used it to provide tax-planning advice to global customers.
Earlier Tuesday, the Australian Treasury said it will examine its use of PwC as its internal auditor given the public perception of the firm. On Monday, the company said it’s putting nine partners on leave and ringfencing business conducted with the government in a bid to restore confidence.
Last week the country’s police began an investigation into the matter after a referral from the the Treasury department.
