WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service says it is teaming with tax agencies in Australia and the United Kingdom to share information about potential tax cheats hiding money in tax havens around the world. The IRS said Thursday that tax agencies in the three countries have acquired "a substantial amount of data" about potential tax cheats from many countries hiding assets in Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and the Cook Islands. The agencies are offering to share the information with other countries.

Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who also heads the single currency eurozone, said Tuesday his government will fight current plans by 11 EU states to implement a controversial tax on financial transactions (FTT). Taking questions from a European Parliament economics committee, Dijsselbloem insisted he was speaking in his capacity as a national finance minister and not as Eurogroup chairman.

OTTAWA - Banks and other financial institutions should have the power to find out who's actually behind corporations that stash money in offshore tax havens, says a House of Commons committee. In a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, the Commons finance committee also urges the Conservative government to close tax loopholes and develop laws that crack down on those who avoid paying their share. The report recommends maintaining "taxpayer morale" by publicizing the government's "ongoing efforts" to ensure fairness in Canada's tax system.

Austria said Friday it will take part in EU talks aimed at limiting tax fraud after weeks of holding out on the issue amid severe international criticism of over banking secrecy law. In a joint statement on Friday, Social Democrat Chancellor Werner Faymann and conservative vice-chancellor Michael Spindelegger agreed to join European negotiations on the automatic exchange of banking data. "We want the international fight against tax fraud to work and we want to play a committed role in it," the coalition partners said.