As part of the PROTAX project, Trilateral Research has led the organisation and research work of focus groups with experts from European tax authorities and policy-makers (e.g., from the Ministry of Finance and/or the Ministry of Justice and/or the Ministry of the Interior), supervisory and regulatory authorities, and representatives of professional associations of bankers, accountants, and private auditors.
The aim of the focus groups was to discuss how a country views tax crimes, to develop ideas for countering them, to consider the limitations on information-sharing and what could be done to improve it, and to leverage scarce Law Enforcement Agencies resources.
The findings from the PROTAX focus groups were presented at the Thirty-Seventh International Symposium on Economic Crime at the University of Cambridge during the plenary workshop “Policing Economic Crime Post Brexit” organised by Prof. Dr Umut Turksen and Dr Lorenzo Pasculli on Friday 6 September 2019.
The annual event, hosted by the University of Cambridge, is organised by some of the world’s leading educational and research institutions alongside tax authorities, compliance bodies, and government agencies with the joint objective of standing up against fiscal crime. The thirty-seventh international symposium on economic crime has brought together international experts to exchange knowledge on preventing financial crime and misconduct.
Dr Lorenzo Pasculli and Prof. Chris Bovis joined the discussion during the workshop focusing on the possible challenges of policing economic crime after Brexit and on the project research results, such as good practices in tax enforcement and prosecutions, as well as the areas which need reform and development.
PROTAX is a three-year project whose ultimate objective is to generate policy guidelines and toolkits to help EU tax authorities and law enforcement agencies prevent and prosecute tax crime. PROTAX will devote effort to facilitating increased harmonisation of definitions and treatment of tax crime and to exploring the potential for information sharing across different European jurisdictions.
Within this context, the focus groups organised in 10 EU member states addressed the following themes:
- Exploring tax crimes
- LEA requirements and organisational aspects
- Inter-agency co-operation
- International collaboration
- Dual role of the financial sector: Prevention and facilitation of tax crimes
- Benchmarks and best practices
- Ideas to advance the fight against tax crime
As a follow-up to these focus groups, all participants and other stakeholders involved in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of tax crimes are invited to take part in the PROTAX conference “Enhancing the investigation, prosecution and prevention of tax crimes in the EU”, which will take place in Brussels on 21 November 2019.
The conference will provide a platform for professionals specialised in tax and tax crime matters to learn about the findings of the focus groups and contribute to the formulation of recommendations to the European Commission and stakeholders to enhance capabilities in the fight against tax crimes.
Register here for the conference, and feel free to contact our team for more information.
