Countries must step up work to ensure that tax authorities and anti-corruption authorities can effectively co-operate in the fight against tax evasion, bribery, and other forms of corruption, according to a joint OECD/World Bank report.
Drawing on the experiences of 67 countries, the study focuses on the legal, strategic, operational, and cultural aspects of co-operation between tax authorities and anti-corruption authorities. “With annual revenue losses from tax evasion and corruption estimated to be in the billions, it is critical that government agencies are able to join forces to deter, detect, and prosecute these crimes,” says the report.
The report dubbed, “Improving Co-operation between Tax Authorities and Anti-Corruption Authorities in Combating Tax Crime and Corruption” calls on countries to enhance co-operation by:
Making available the broadest range of legal gateways for reporting and information sharing permitted by law. implementing streamlined and efficient operational procedures to ensure that reporting and information sharing is effective in practice, utilising enhanced co-operation mechanisms such as joint operations and taskforces and promoting a culture of co-operation at all levels of an organisation, starting with political leaders and agency heads.
The report will enable countries to review and evaluate their own approaches for co-operation and identify opportunities for improvements based on practices that have proved successful elsewhere.
The report will also support the OECD and World Bank’s ongoing capacity building work and further the OECD’s Oslo Dialogue – which promotes a whole-of-government approach to tackling financial crimes by fostering inter-agency and international co-operation.