Former ATO chief Chris Jordan accused of offshore tax avoidance and secret commissions

A parliamentary committee reviewing the KPMG audit scandal released documents that accuse Chris Jordan, who later led the Australian Taxation Office for over a decade, of evading Australian income tax during his tenure as a KPMG partner in the late 1990s. A whistleblower's 2021 letter alleges Jordan and fellow partner Wayne Jones each took $1.2 million in undisclosed commissions and hid the funds in a secret Isle of Man bank account.

The same letter says they promoted tax-loss arrangements such as "Copper Doctor" and "Gold Doctor" to clients and colleagues, and claims Jordan's ATO leadership was severely hampered by alcoholism and cocaine use. Jordan and Jones have not responded to requests for comment, and KPMG declined to comment. A 2023 whistleblower letter adds accusations of secret commissions totaling $2.4 million and references a recording about evidence destruction in an ATO probe. KPMG later paid the whistleblower over $500,000 for legal costs, while former KPMG executives said the historic nature of the allegations made verification difficult.