Big Data against tax fraud: Hessian tax administration co-finances new professorship

"We are strengthening the digital clout of the Hessian tax investigation unit: With and at the University of Kassel, we are establishing a new professorship for information security. Big Data specialists will be trained there to support the tax administration in its increasingly complex work. We are investing around 250,000 euros a year in the new IT department. In this way, we are further expanding our cooperation with the university and setting new standards in the dual course of study in computer science with a specialization in IT forensics/tax investigation." This was stated today by Hesse's Finance Minister Michael Boddenberg.

Since 2019, the Hessian Tax Administration has been training dual students of computer science with the University of Kassel. The young men and women experience the practical part of their training at the Kassel II-Hofgeismar tax office. Five students started in 2019, six each in 2020 and this year. After completing their studies, the graduates are expected to support the IT forensics of the tax investigation unit and the artificial intelligence research unit at the Kassel II-Hofgeismar tax office

In order to be able to anchor the study contents of IT security, IT forensics and artificial intelligence more firmly in the curriculum of the dual students, a new subject area of information security is now being created with financial support from the tax administration. "The knowledge that is crucial for the future work of our IT specialists can be taught in a targeted manner in this way. Clever and highly trained young minds are one of the most important future resources of our administration. That's why we've been doing a great deal to recruit young talent for many years, and in many cases we're also breaking new ground," explained the Finance Minister. "On the ground in Kassel, we are concerned with continuing to keep pace with the major challenges posed by digitalization. The central task of tax investigation is to track down tax crimes. In this context, IT forensics has become increasingly important for the work of tax investigation. On the one hand, data must be obtained and processed as electronic evidence for a tax offense, and on the other hand, the Kassel II-Hofgeismar tax office has central responsibility throughout Hesse for data acquisitions of evidence and for large-scale digital procedures. Both tasks are associated with major challenges for the application of information technology. For some time now, we have been repositioning ourselves for this purpose, so that we will continue to be well equipped in the fight for greater tax justice in the future."

Almost 50 tax investigators and IT forensic specialists form a powerful unit at the Kassel II-Hofgeismar tax office. In addition, a research unit for the use of artificial intelligence in tax administration has been established. "So it makes sense that the Hessian Tax Administration also located its new dual study program in Kassel. The University of Kassel is a strong partner for us, with a very good range of courses in computer science. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the university management and the local lecturers for this special cooperation. We continuously need the latest methods and people who know how to use them. It is also thanks to this cooperation that we are increasingly successful in uncovering tax offences digitally, as the evaluation of the Panama Papers recently showed, for example," says Michael Boddenberg.

Jürgen Roßberg, Chief Financial Officer of the Frankfurt am Main Regional Finance Office, said: "I am delighted about the cooperation with the University of Kassel and the associated opening up of new opportunities to provide sustainable impetus for the digitization of the administration. This cooperation complements other IT projects already successfully established at the Kassel II-Hofgeismar tax office. The scientific-academic interlocking will create additional benefits, also for the ongoing projects. At the same time, this cooperation underscores the increasing importance of information security."

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Zipf, Dean of Studies at the Department of Electrical Engineering/Computer Science at the University of Kassel, explained, "We perceive the first cohort of students from the financial administration as motivated and high-performing. I am pleased that with the new professorship we will be able to offer them an even broader foundation for their studies in the future."

The dean of the department, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Bangert, emphasized that the teaching offered by the new professorship will benefit all students, not just those from the tax authorities: "Studying computer science with us opens up a wide range of career opportunities and offers the possibility of incorporating areas of electrical engineering or other disciplines, depending on your inclinations." In addition, the future professorship will also provide research impulses that can be connected to top-class focal points at the University of Kassel.

The new professorship will now be advertised and filled quickly.

Information on the dual study program in computer science/focus on IT forensics and tax investigation service: https://finanzverwaltung-mein-job.hessen.de/duales-studium/informatik-it-forensik-steuerfahndungsdienst

Information on the Bachelor's program in Computer Science at the University of Kassel: https://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/studium/informatik-bachelor