Anti Avoidance Group: JITSIC
(Joint International Tax Shelter Information Centre)
Who we are
Tax Commissioners of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United
States agreed in April 2004 to establish a joint task force to identify
and curb abusive tax transactions. The Joint International Tax Shelter Information
Centre (JITSIC) began operating in Washington DC in September 2004, and
a second office will open in London in the Autumn. The National Tax Agency
of Japan accepted the Commissioners invitation to join JITSIC, and will
be represented in London.
What we do
The purpose of JITSIC is to:
- Provide support to the parties through the identification and understanding
of abusive tax schemes and those who promote them.
- Share expertise, best practices and experience in tax administration
to combat abusive tax schemes.
- Exchange information on abusive tax schemes, in general, and on specific
schemes, their promoters, and investors consistent with the provisions
of bilateral tax conventions.
- Enable the parties to better address abusive tax schemes promoted by
firms and individuals who operate without regard to national borders.
The objectives of JITSIC are to deter promotion of and investment in abusive
tax schemes, and through information exchange and knowledge sharing, the
parties will:
- Increase public awareness of the potential civil and criminal risks
of promoting and investing in abusive tax schemes.
- Share best practices among the parties’ tax administrations for
identifying and addressing abusive tax schemes.
- Enhance each party’s compliance and enforcement efforts through
coordinated and “real time” exchanges of tax information consistent
with the provisions of bilateral tax conventions.
- Develop new internet search and other techniques for early identification
of promoters and investors involved in abusive tax schemes.
- Identify emerging trends and patterns to anticipate new, abusive tax
schemes.
- Improve parties’ knowledge of techniques used to promote abusive
tax schemes cross-border.
