Following the OECD Forum on Tax and Crime is a one day meeting of the OECD Forum of Heads of Tax Crime Investigation, where the senior leaders of tax crime investigation agencies from around the world gather more informally. Now in its fifth iteration this event is an important opportunity to gather the heads of tax crime investigation agencies to discuss current and ongoing challenges to combatting tax evasion, and to shape the OECD’s future priorities in this regard. This meeting also boasts successful outcomes, with the 2017 meeting seeing the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands, establish a new international law enforcement group: The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (known as the J5). The J5 collaborate in the fight against international and transnational tax crime, cyber crime, and money laundering, by gathering information, sharing intelligence, conducting operations and building the capacity of tax crime enforcement officials.
Virtual event | 16-17 June 2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person meeting of the OECD Forum on Tax and Crime, which was planned for December 2020, had to be postponed. In order to continue the dialogue and to help maintain momentum on the hugely important tax and crime agenda, the OECD and the Canada Revenue Agency have decided to co-host the Forum of Heads of Tax Crime Investigation virtual meeting, which was held on 16-17 June 2021.
The aim of this Forum of Heads of Tax Crime Investigation meeting, usually held alongside the wider Forum on Tax and Crime meeting, is to discuss the strategic forward agenda in a confidential setting, allowing for free and frank dialogue. The 2021 meeting, which had to be held in a virtual setting, has been prepared through discussions at the level of the Task Force on Tax Crimes and Other Crimes (TFTC) in their 11-12 May meeting and through a small number of “feeder meetings” at the Heads level. These feeder meetings, which took place on 26, 28 May and 1 June, brought together Heads in smaller groups for more in-depth discussions to inform aspects of the Forum of Heads' meeting.
On the occasion of this Forum of Heads meeting, the Fighting Tax Crime – The Ten Global Principles, Second Edition was launched, and a statement of outcomes was published at the end of the meeting setting out proposals for further collaboration.