The statement is evaluative and cannot be resolved as a factual proposition.
An Australian Senate committee report of June 2023 described PwC's handling of confidential tax consultations as a calculated breach of trust.
- Claim made by
- Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee, official report
- Published
- June 2023
- Evidence score
- 65 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The report's title carries the committee's verdictS4. Calculated breach of trust is evaluative language. The checkable core is the TPB finding that PwC breached the law and the Code and failed to manage conflictsS3. Whether the breach was calculated is a judgment about intent that no regulator or court has decided on the record read. The page read shows only the title and chapter headings, not the committee's reasoning.
Current procedural position
Parliamentary committee report published in June 2023S4. Not a legal finding. AFP investigation ongoing as of 7 August 2025S5.
Record supporting the assessment
PwC: A calculated breach of trust
PwC breached its obligations under the law and the Code of Professional Conduct
Conflicting or limiting record
No record located that conflicts with this assessment.
Evidence score: 65 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 20 | 30 | A Senate committee report states the committee's view, not an adjudication. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 14 | 20 | Only the title and headings were read. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 9 | 15 | The TPB finding supports a breach but not the word calculated. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 5 | 15 | No court or regulator has ruled on intent. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 8 | 10 | Checked against August 2025 reporting. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 9 | 10 | The report page is public on the parliament site. |
| Total | 65 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- Tax Practitioners Board and PricewaterhouseCoopers AustraliaTax Practitioners Board. Regulatory. Not published.Stage: Decision issued. Separate AFP investigation ongoing as of August 2025.
- Former partner barred for two years and PwC ordered to put conflict processes and training in placeS3
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Opinion.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S4Tier A PwC: A calculated breach of trustSenate Finance and Public Administration References Committee. Commission report. June 2023.Report landing page with title and chapter headings. The full PDF was not read.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S3Tier A Former PwC partner banned for integrity breachTax Practitioners Board. Regulator press release. 23 January 2023.Supports the ban and the finding that PwC breached the law and the Code. It does not address criminal liability.
- S5Tier C Govt labelled 'gutless' for lifting ban on PwC contractsThe Canberra Times. Press report. 7 August 2025.Report by Dana Daniel on the Department of Finance decision and the ongoing AFP probe. The Finance report itself was not read.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
Other claims about PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Supported83Chinese regulators said in September 2024 that PwC Zhong Tian had to a certain extent covered up and even condoned Evergrande's financial fraud in its Hengda audits.Press report, 13 September 20246 records citedAccounting
- Supported88The Tax Practitioners Board said in January 2023 that PwC breached its obligations under the law and the Code of Professional Conduct over a former partner's disclosure of confidential Treasury information.Regulator statement, 23 January 20233 records citedMarket conduct