ATO Denies Pressure on TPB in Collins Case

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has refuted claims of exerting undue pressure on the Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) concerning the investigation of Mr. Collins, who was referred to the TPB for a confidentiality breach. The ATO maintains it acted appropriately by referring Collins and supporting ongoing inquiries. Tensions between the ATO and TPB escalated when the TPB expanded its investigation to include PwC after discovering that confidential government tax plans were shared with other partners. The discord centered on TPB’s access to ATO information, regarded as a critical point of friction.
Former Tax Commissioner Chris Jordan accused the TPB of deceiving the ATO during the PwC investigation, particularly when TPB investigators sent notices to companies that had settled with the ATO. Despite the ATO’s refusal to provide certain taxpayer information citing confidentiality, the TPB proceeded with its probe, leading to the banning of Collins for two years. The matter was later referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for a criminal investigation.