Foreword by the Director General: Collaboration, trust and sustainability in taxation

Public authorities operate sustainably when they carry out their core responsibilities properly and efficiently. The Tax Administration’s most important responsibility is to ensure tax revenue for use by society.

Still, it is not enough that we simply fulfil our legal responsibilities. We must demand more from ourselves: our operations have to be ethically sustainable, as well. That is what the people of Finland expect from their Tax Administration. We endeavour to promote good governance, prevent conflicts of interest, and ensure that our employees are not hampered by outside influence. Sustainability and responsibility go hand in hand in our everyday conduct. 

Although we are the foremost experts in taxation, we could not succeed in our work without the support of our numerous collaborators and partners. With their help, we can carry out our primary responsibilities even better. They enhance our sustainability with fresh perspectives and new competencies.

For example, we have long been a part of an active cooperation network of public authorities and stakeholders combatting tax avoidance and non-compliance on both national and international levels. We also contribute to measuring the effectiveness of legislation. The Tax Administration’s Grey Economy Information Unit investigates how tax avoidance affects society and provides information on how to fight against unwanted economic phenomena.

When someone comes from abroad to work in Finland, they need a tax card. As the institution responsible for issuing tax cards, the Tax Administration has registered more foreign workers in Finland than any other public authority in the past few years. Providing ready access to the permits required for working in Finland is one part of fostering a sustainable society, too. Unfortunately, we have also seen an increase in identity theft. In response, we have developed our capabilities and tools for identifying fraudulent operators.

Smooth and seamless taxation promotes a prosperous and secure society. We want to do our part in advancing Finland’s societal development, which is why we produce research and statistics to support decision-makers in their work. This way, we also enable wide-reaching public discussion on taxation matters. Establishing a dialogue with our customers – the taxpayers – is extremely important. In addition to ensuring tax revenue and fair tax assessment, fostering a positive taxpayer experience is one of our strategic goals.

In our vision of the future, taxation is a seamless part of the everyday life of people and businesses and it does not require any extra effort from anyone. However, the information needed for taxation should be generated automatically during each taxable transaction, and there is still a lot of work to be done for that to become a reality. 

This is not an easy time for furthering grand visions and faraway goals. Strict economic austerity is a test for how well we can balance the need to streamline our operations with our continuing strive towards improved collaboration, trust, and sustainability.

Markku Heikura
Director General
Tax Administration