{
  "id": 9780373,
  "title": "FBR sets up faceless tax audit, assessment centre in Islamabad",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/fbr-sets-up-faceless-tax-audit-assessment-centre-in-islamabad-9780373",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-25T14:12:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2032605/fbr-sets-up-faceless-tax-audit-assessment-centre-in-islamabad"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has introduced the National Faceless Centre in Islamabad, which will handle audits and assessments through \"faceless\" wings to minimize official discretion and eliminate direct contact between tax officials and taxpayers. This new model, aligned with the Pakistan's New Tax Operating Model, was endorsed by the government in June. The centralised and faceless tax system is reminiscent of practices in the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Singapore, and India, all aimed at preventing corruption by removing face-to-face interactions. The decision to establish the National Faceless Centre was made by the Board in Council, headed by the FBR chairperson, in a meeting on Friday. FBR officials described the National Faceless Centre (NFC) as a significant reform that will revolutionize how tax audits and assessments are conducted in Pakistan. Under the old system, taxpayers had to interact with specific officers in designated offices, often face-to-face. But with the NFC, contact with tax authorities will cease. Cases will be selected by a computerized, risk-based system rather than by any individual officer. Each case will then be automatically assigned to an officer anywhere in the country, without the taxpayer's knowledge. The taxpayer will engage with three separate officers – one for the audit, another for the assessment, and a third for quality review – before any decision is issued. All communications, including notices, replies, and hearings, will occur electronically via the FBR's IRIS system. Physical verification or recovery, where legally required, will be handled by a separate field team. The NFC operates under the legal framework of the Finance Act, 2026 and will be led by an Inland Revenue chief commissioner. The centre will have dedicated wings for faceless audit, assessment, quality control, and field operations. A Programme Management Unit has been established to oversee its implementation. The primary objective of this reform is to ensure equal treatment for all taxpayers, base decisions on data instead of personal judgment, and eliminate the face-to-face contact that has long been a source of complaints. The FBR expects the NFC to expedite, streamline, and enhance the transparency of tax proceedings across Pakistan.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has established the National Faceless Centre in Islamabad, under which audits and assessments will be handled by “faceless” wings to reduce official discretion and direct contact between tax officials and taxpayers. The initiative has been taken under Pakistan’s New Tax Operating Model and was approved by the government in principle in June. The…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn",
        "title": "FBR sets up faceless tax audit, assessment centre in Islamabad",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/fbr-sets-up-faceless-tax-audit-assessment-centre-in-islamabad",
        "published": "2026-09-25T14:12:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}