International consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has stood down nine employees and apologised after it was revealed the company used confidential federal government information to create a product that could help businesses avoid paying taxes in Australia.
PwC Acting Chief Executive Kristin Stubbins said in a media release on May 29 that internal investigations by the consulting giant showed its behaviour was unacceptable and no words could make the situation right.
“I apologise to the community; to the Australian government for breaching your confidentiality; to our clients for any questions this may have raised about our integrity and trustworthiness; and to the 10,000 hard-working, values-driven PwC Australia partners and staff who have been unfairly impacted,” she said….