A former Ernst & Young partner has claimed privilege against exposure to penalty and is seeking orders to avoid filing a defence in proceedings by the Australian Taxation Office alleging he promoted tax exploitation schemes.
A former PricewaterhouseCoopers partner has brought defamation proceedings over public statements he alleges falsely linked him to the tax leaks scandal that rocked the professional services firm last year.
PricewaterhouseCoopers is facing a lawsuit by the executor of a deceased estate alleging the accounting firm gave negligent advice and acted with a conflict of interest while advising on tax liabilities for the deceased’s $100 million in assets.
Billabong founder Gordon Merchant has lost his challenge to a decision by the ATO to increase his tax liability to $31 million, finding that he conducted a “wash sale” of his Billabong shares and engaged in dividend stripping on the sale of bio plastics manufacturer Plantic Technologies.
The ATO has lost its appeal of a tribunal decision in favour of Perth land developer Tina Bazzo, with the court rejecting its “all or nothing” approach to a key provision of the Taxation Administration Act.
Scyne Advisory has resolved its case seeking to bar a former partner from working for the professional services arm of Downer EDI, in a confidential settlement the firm said acknowledged the need to protect information and uphold restraints.
A Senate committee has slammed PricewaterhouseCoopers for hiding behind legal professional privilege and refusing to release a report by law firm Linklaters into alleged wrongdoing by international partners, as the committee seeks more information about PwC partners involved in the firm’s leak of confidential Treasury information.
In a loss for the Australian Taxation Office, an appeals court has found that the Liberty Group’s use of corporate and trust ‘silos’ was not an unlawful tax avoidance scheme.
A former EY partner is trying again to keep their identity secret in proceedings brought by the Tax Office alleging they promoted tax exploitation schemes.
A client of EY has sued a former partner at the firm, accusing them of collecting $700,000 in secret payments as part of a tax loss scheme.