PwC reached a confidential settlement with the ATO just weeks before leaked emails revealed it had mishandled tax information, sparking a series of government investigations.
In a response to the New South Wales government's inquiry into the use of consultants, the firm revealed it had struck the secret deal in March but declined to provide details on what the arrangement entailed.
The settlement was reached several years after the ATO first chastised the firm when it discovered PwC staff had secretly distributed confidential government tax briefings within its tax practice in a bid to get ahead of new laws aimed at increasing the tax paid by multinational companies. A spokesperson from PwC declined to comment citing legal reasons and the ATO was also contacted for comment.
Ziggy Switkowski AO is leading what the firm describes as an independent review into"governance, accountability and culture", but his work has been largely shrouded in secrecy, despite PwC saying they would publish the findings in September.
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