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KPMG paid over $500,000 to tax whistleblower
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KPMG paid over $500,000 to tax whistleblower

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  • KPMG paid more than $500,000 to a former senior manager to settle tax division allegations.
  • The firm faced intense parliamentary scrutiny regarding corporate governance and whistleblower handling.
  • Leadership attempted to maintain internal control and manage risks during ongoing public enquiries.

KPMG paid more than $500,000 to a former senior manager who alleged wrongdoing in the firm's tax division.

The payment was arranged by former chairman Martin Sheppard in late 2024 to keep the claims private.

"If true, this shows a repetitive pattern of behaviour by KPMG to undermine and silence whistleblowers through payments and non-disclosure agreements to cover up allegations of wrongdoing," said Greens senator Barbara Pocock of the new whistleblower claims.

The arrangement included confidentiality provisions while the Big Four firm faced separate allegations of client data misuse in its audit team.

The parliamentary enquiry was launched after claims that KPMG used confidential client information from Lendlease and Optus in bids to win audit work worth $134 million a year.

Those audits involved Dexus (ASX:DXS), Macquarie (ASX:MQG), Westpac (ASX:WBC) and Telstra (ASX:TLS), though KPMG's bid for the Telstra audit was unsuccessful.

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