Australian parliament to probe PwC tax leaks scandal

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) office in Australia is under investigation by the country’s parliament for leaking information about secret government tax intentions to its clients.
According to the Voice of America, the corporation, which has the Australian government as its biggest client, has directed nine directors to take immediate leave as the heads of its risk committee and governance board are resigning.
Steven Kennedy, the director of Australia’s federal Treasury, said in Canberra on Tuesday that PwC Australia’s actions were “clearly disturbing.” He said that he requested the Australian Federal Police look into a large leak after a group of emails from the consulting firm were made public.
Labour senator Deborah O’Neill told ABC on Tuesday that the consulting firm’s conduct has been unethical.
“This is about cover-up, this is about PwC trying to stem the flow of an artery that’s well and truly open now. The reality is, that this is a company that has not been open and honest with the Australian people, indeed 53 people within PwC Australia and PwC Global had access to confidential information that belonged rightly to the Australian people,” she said.
PwC Australia has, however, admitted to pursuing profits in an excessively aggressive manner. It stated that none of its clients was implicated in any wrongdoing, and no sensitive information was ever utilised to lower their tax obligations.
Katy Gallagher, Australia’s minister of finance, stated before a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that the use of consultants by the government was a “massive problem.”
There has recently been more attention on the sector. China started a crackdown on consultancy firms earlier this month after Beijing expanded its anti-espionage legislation to cover information sharing and perceived dangers to national security.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

States
Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future
The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Politics
Northerners have nothing to fear about Tinubu’s re-election, says Shettima
Vice-President Kashim Shettima says Northern Nigeria has nothing to fear from President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, urging regional leaders to support his bid for a second term.

Politics
Enugu Campaigns: Police order area commanders, DPOs to strengthen security
The police commissioner in Enugu has ordered area commanders and DPOs to strengthen security in their respective jurisdictions as political campaigns heighten.

Lagos
LASEMA begins demolition of distressed GNI building
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) says it will begin the controlled demolition of the distressed Great Nigeria Insurance House on Lagos Island on Thursday.

Lagos
Lagos diverts traffic on Independence Bridge for repairs
The Lagos government says traffic will be diverted on Independence Bridge, Lagos Island, as urgent repairs begin on Friday.

Abuja
Army chief seeks stronger West African military cooperation against terrorism
Army chief Waidi Shaibu has called for stronger military cooperation among West African countries to combat terrorism and transnational security threats.

Economy
Banks urged to boost lending to productive sectors
Financial sector stakeholders urged Nigerian banks to channel capital into productive lending, strengthen digital infrastructure, and build customer trust.





