The Joint International Taskforce on Shared Intelligence & Collaboration (JITSIC) network brings together 42 of the world's national tax administrations to find ways to more effectively deal with tax avoidance.
The Commissioner of Taxation is the JITSIC sponsor and takes the ATO's role as chair of the network seriously, as mentioned in his address to the Tax Institute's Tax Summit earlier this month.
JITSIC is currently sharing intelligence on issues including crypto assets, cross border financing, data leaks, wealthy population risks, intellectual property, certificates of residency, avoidance of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and Common Reporting Standards avoidance.
ATO Assistant Commissioner Rob Thomson has recently finished his tenure as the ATO's OECD delegate and chair of the JITSIC network.
Mr Thomson has shared insights into his time representing Australia, explaining, 'the JITSIC network is a great opportunity for members of the OECD Forum on Tax Administration to tackle common issues we face globally'.
'Over 90% of our members say the network has made collaboration between tax administrations easier. Over the past few years, 61% of members identified a new or emerging tax risk because of JITSIC.'
The role also focuses on ensuring the ATO meets its international obligations in relation to transparency and exchange of information pursuant to Australia’s international tax treaties.
'It's in roles like these the ATO remains at the forefront of the global fight against tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance and taking cross-border compliance action, " Mr Thomson said.
Assistant Commissioner Simon Hellmers has now taken up the ATO's OECD delegate role and chair of the JITSIC network.
The JITSIC NetworkExternal Link is open to all members of the OECD's Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) and is managed by the ATO International Relations and Capacity Building team in International, Support and Programs.
Read about how the ATO plays a vital intelligence and collaboration role in the OECD network.