PwC chief executive Tom Seymour has denied that up to 30 partners and staff were involved in sharing confidential government tax policy information obtained by former PwC star Peter Collins, contradicting evidence heard by a Senate committee last month.

In a punchy response to criticisms about the firm over the tax leak, Mr Seymour said there were “no findings at all” that dozens were involved. He instead characterised the firm as having an ongoing “perception issue” for not having an effective system in place at the time to manage confidentiality agreements signed by its advisers.