The first tax and crime conference was recently hosted by the Norwegian government and was attended by 150 delegates from 54 delegations who participated in discussion on tax crimes, money laundering and other financial crimes. The conference brought together representatives from a range of OECD and non-OECD governmental agencies, including Tax Administrations, Finance and Justice Ministries, Financial Intelligence Units, Central Banks, FATF, International Organisations, as well as business and NGOs.

The purpose of the conference was to find more effective ways to counter financial crimes, tax evasion and other illicit flows through better interagency and international co-operation. Discussions were held on how governments can deliver better results, in shorter time frames, with lower costs and less duplication, building on the strength and expertise of different agencies. Legal and practical barriers to effective inter-agency co-operation, such as secrecy provisions that restrict information sharing at the domestic or international level were also explored.

Acting on the findings of the conference, the OECD, working with other international organizations and interested parties, will:

Establish a global dialogue on inter-agency collaboration to better fight financial crimes including illicit financial flows. A platform for sharing operational experiences could support this dialogue.

Immediately advance the issues discussed at Oslo through an OECD Task Force, which will focus on:

• Improving inter-agency co-operation by mapping out different models of co-operation, their advantages and challenges with a view to developing best practice standards, and with a particular focus on the contribution that tax administrations can make in this regard.
• Improving understanding and use of international co-operation mechanisms by cataloguing all relevant forms and instruments for international co-operation in fighting financial crime.
• Supporting sustainable development and fiscal transparency by seeking to assess areas of biggest benefit to developing countries from the “whole of government approach”

For full details see http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/14/0/47425987.pdf