This week, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) officials participated in a five-nation challenge to optimize international co-ordination against tax evasion, the agency announced Thursday.
The challenge was hosted by the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service in Amsterdam to identify, develop, and test tools, platforms, techniques, and methods that contribute to the mission of the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement, also known as the J5.
The J5 is composed of tax experts from five countries: Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The teams participating in the challenge identified new investigative targets, developed investigative schemes to focus on those targets, and increased their ability to share information, the CRA says in a news release.
In particular, they identified promoters of tax schemes “as one of the top operational priorities of its criminal investigations program,” the CRA says. More specifically, the CRA is currently investigating more than 15 cases involving promoters, and more than 50 cases linked to offshore tax evasion.
“Combatting tax evasion across international borders requires partner nations to work together effectively and to understand the available data and tools. This is why partnerships such as the J5 and events like the challenge are important. These partnerships allow us to identify common targets and develop strategies for cases across borders,” says Diane Lebouthillier, federal minister of national revenue, in a statement.