SYDNEY Reuters - Australian senators will use parliamentary hearings this week to demand accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers PwC name staff and clients who were in on the big four firm's misuse of secret government tax plans.
The staff and clients were referenced in a cache of partially redacted emails released amid a scandal over a former PwC partner who shared embarrassing information with colleagues on government plans to crack down on tax avoidance by multinational corporations, then used to drum up business.
Acting CEO Kristin Stubbins, who took the job after her previous president resigned earlier this month, apologised in an open letter and said nine unnamed partners had been directed to take leave.
Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill, who helped release the emails, said PwC's apology could not be taken seriously and the firm's letter was another exercise in cover up.
They established relationships with 14 of the biggest multinational corporations in the world. I'm determined to get that on the record. In response to a request for comment, PwC Australia points to its letter on Monday, where it did not name the dozens of staff referenced in hundreds of partially redacted emails and said the vast majority were not knowingly involved in any confidentiality breach.
No confidential information was used to assist clients in paying less tax, the company said on Monday in a statement.
The cache of emails between 2014 and 2017 discuss how confidential drafts of new rules were used to seek work with U.S. technology companies, among others.
The parliamentary committee will be heard from the Australian Tax Office and the Tax Practitioners Board and the Treasury, which referred the matter to police last week for a possible criminal investigation.