This infographic provides more information on how we're closing the net on offshore tax evasion (PDF, 888KB)This link will download a file.
What is offshore tax evasion?
Offshore tax evasion is a crime where a person deliberately evades paying tax by holding money and assets offshore.
Our role at the ATO is to identify and catch these individuals.
A global approach that gets results
We use sophisticated tools and a highly collaborative approach to information sharing to get results. We work with our domestic and international partners to manage offshore tax evasion risks and deter those considering getting involved in offshore tax evasion schemes.
Our international partners:
- The Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5) – Australia, Netherlands, UK, US, Canada
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Joint International Taskforce on Shared Intelligence and Collaboration (JITSIC).
These global partnerships have resulted in:
- the establishment of the Common Reporting Standard for collecting, reporting and exchanging financial information on foreign tax residents.
- more than 2,500 exchanges of information, enabling us to raise tax liabilities of $1 billion.
- 100 jurisdictions linked by international treaties and exchange agreements.
- more effective disruption of offshore tax evasion activities by Australian authorities.
Offshore tax evasion comes at a cost
Offshore tax evasion results in less tax revenue, which means less funding for essential community services like health and education.
We’re committed to protecting the community from offshore tax evasion.
A partnership closer to home
The Serious Financial Crime Taskforce (SFCT): ATO-led, joint-agency taskforce with formidable resources and data-matching capability.
$556 million collected by the SFCT from serious financial crime activities, including offshore tax evasion. (As at 31 December, 2021)
Think you’ve been involved in offshore tax evasion?
Find out more about offshore tax evasion – including how to make a voluntary disclosure or a confidential tip-off – at ato.gov.au/offshoretaxevasion.
Remember: if you come forward early with information, it could mean reduced penalties and interest.
An ATO infographic that explains what offshore tax evasion is and the global approach we take to uncover illegal offshore dealings.