Money Laundering Awareness Handbook for Tax Examiners and Tax Auditors

Permanent URL:
www.oecd.org/ctp/taxcrimes/laundering

Money laundering is a serious threat to the legal economy and affects the integrity of financial institutions. Tax crime is one of the top three sources of dirty money. Tax administrations can play an important role in detecting and deterring money laundering.

This handbook provides guidance in identifying money laundering during the conduct of normal tax audits, and describes the nature of money laundering activities so that tax examiners and auditors can better understand how their contribution can assist criminal investigators in countering money laundering.

About the handbook

The purpose of this handbook is to raise the awareness level of tax examiners and auditors on money laundering. It provides guidance in identifying money laundering during the conduct of normal tax audits.

It also describes the resources and tools that are available for effective detection and deterrence. While the handbook does not detail criminal investigation methods, it does describe the nature and context of money laundering activities so that tax examiners and auditors can better understand how their contribution can assist criminal investigators in countering money laundering.

Tax administrations can adapt the handbook to suit their particular circumstances and to take into account the varying roles that tax administrations have in relation to reporting unusual or suspicious transactions, receiving suspicious transaction reports and investigating money laundering offences. To aid this adaptation key areas of the handbook have been highlighted for “Country Specific Insertions”.
While the aim of this handbook is to raise the awareness of tax examiners and tax auditors about the possible implications of transactions or activities related to money laundering and tax crimes, the handbook is not meant to replace domestic policies and procedures.

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Money Laundering
• Role of Tax Examiners and Auditors
• Money Laundering Indicators for Individuals
• Tax Return Examination and Pre-Audit Indicators
• Audit Indicators
• Specific Indicators on Real Estate
• Specific Indicators on Cash
• Specific Indicators on International Trade
• Specific Indicators on Loans
• Specific Indicators on Professional Service Providers