Head of PwC tax
leaks investigation has ‘no future career’ at Tax Office
Neil Chenoweth
Tax Practitioners Board chief executive Michael O’Neill was told he should
look outside the ATO for his future career because of the investigation he led
into the PwC tax leaks, he testified to the Senate ethics inquiry on Thursday.
Greens senator Barbara Pocock read a letter from a retired senior ATO officer,
Ian Bartley, who said O’Neill’s actions in relation to PwC had “beyond doubt
diminished to zero” his careers prospects at the Tax Office.
Tax Practitioners Board chief executive Michael O’Neill. Alex Ellinghausen
“He’s saying, well, I should look elsewhere for my future career,” O’Neill
said. “And other people within the ATO have said that same thing to me.”
However, O’Neill said he still felt secure in his employment, as a tax
officer seconded to the TPB.
“I’m in a senior and privileged position, I haven’t always felt secure as I
do today but I do. I do feel for other people who are in very difficult legal
and ethical situations, that they don’t have the sort of supports that I do
have.”
Pocock said one of the issues for the Senate was to establish “whether and
how and who applied pressure to the TPB board and staff”.
In response to questions, O’Neill confirmed that repeated complaints from the Tax Office had led to an
internal review by board members of his work leading the PwC investigation, a
bullying complaint, and an external review of the same matters, all of which
cleared him.
In addition a request was made for the ATO’s fraud officers to investigate allegations that O’Neill had leaked information to The Australian Financial Review, but he had been told the request was declined.
