Karachi, In a move to bolster the fight against illicit finance, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) are set to enhance coordination. Chairman of the FBR, Malik Amjed Zubair Tiwana, emphasized the importance of this collaboration at the FBR-FMU Joint Workshop on Financial Intelligence for Tax Evasion. The event, held at FBR headquarters on January 27-28, 2024, was supported by the FCDO’s UPSCALE Programme.

According to Federal Board of Revenue, Chairman Tiwana highlighted the need for sustained collaboration between the FBR and FMU in developing and utilizing quality financial intelligence to combat tax evasion. During the concluding ceremony of the workshop, he congratulated the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation-Inland Revenue and the FMU for organizing the event. Mr. Tiwana also expressed gratitude towards Mr. Lewis Evans of the British High Commission for his assistance in the workshop’s organization.

Ms. Lubna Farooq, Director General of FMU, echoed the sentiments, thanking the FBR and FCDO. She emphasized the necessity of continuous coordination between the FBR and FMU to enhance knowledge and mutual understanding in combating tax fraud and evasion. Ms. Farooq noted that this collaborative approach would lead to more effective investigations and a robust framework to combat financial crimes.

The workshop saw participation from analysts of the FMU and investigating officers of the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation-Inland Revenue. It focused on identifying and understanding risk areas in financial intelligence related to tax crimes, marking a significant step in the joint effort to tackle illicit finance more effectively.