PwC Australia chief executive Tom Seymour resigns in wake of tax policy leak

Tom Seymour, whose resignation is effective immediately, was one of dozens of partners who received emails about confidential information obtained by former PwC adviser Peter-John Collins.

The Tax Practitioners Board deregistered Collins last year after finding that he shared the confidential information obtained through consultations with Treasury.

The acting chief executive, Kristin Stubbins, said the firm was committed to learning from its mistakes and building a stronger culture of trust and transparency.

The Greens had called for Seymour to resign and for PwC to be banned from all new government contracts as a result of the tax policy breach.

The federal government has become increasingly reliant on consultants to perform the work of public servants, with an audit revealing the government spent $20.8bn on external experts in just one year.

Many of the biggest consultancy firms are paid by the government to work with confidential information, while simultaneously charging businesses in the same sectors for strategic advice.