The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has established a National Faceless Centre (NFC) in Islamabad to overhaul the tax audit and assessment process and eliminate direct contact between taxpayers and tax officers, 24News HD TV reported on Friday.
The decision was approved by the Board-in-Council at its meeting on Friday, according to the FBR.
Under the new arrangement, tax cases will no longer be selected by individual officers. Instead, a computerised risk based mechanism will identify audit cases.
Once a case is selected, it will be electronically allocated to an officer who could be based anywhere in Pakistan.
The taxpayer will not be informed about the identity of the officer handling the case, while officers themselves will have no option to select taxpayers.
A taxpayer’s case will move through three different officers. One will carry out the audit, another will prepare the assessment and the third officer will conduct a quality review before the final order is issued.
The Federal Board said communication with taxpayers will also move online. Notices, replies and hearings will be managed electronically through the department’s IRIS system, reducing the need for physical interaction.
Where a matter requires physical inspection or recovery action, the task will be assigned to a separate field team rather than the officer conducting the audit or assessment.
The centre will operate under a Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue and will have separate divisions dealing with faceless audits, assessments, quality control and field operations.
The National Faceless Centre was established under the Finance Act 2026, while a Programme Management Unit will oversee its implementation.
According to the FBR, the reform aims to ensure uniform, data driven tax decisions, reduce complaints and improve transparency.