New FBR centre to oversee faceless audit, assessment, quality control and field operations under dedicated Inland Revenue wings
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has formally notified the establishment of the National Faceless Centre (NFC), creating a dedicated structure for conducting faceless audit, assessment, quality control and field operations.
The order has been issued pursuant to the minutes of the 5th meeting of the Board-in-Council for 2026-27 and in exercise of powers conferred under various provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, Sales Tax Act, 1990, Federal Excise Act, 2005, Islamabad Capital Territory (Tax on Services) Ordinance, 2001 and the Federal Board of Revenue Act, 2007.
The FBR said the National Faceless Centre will comprise as many specialised wings as required, including:
• National Faceless Audit Wing;
• National Faceless Assessment Wing;
• National Faceless Quality Control Wing; and
• Field Operations Wing.
The establishment of the centre is aimed at providing a centralised institutional framework for the execution of assigned tax functions through dedicated officers.
FBR creates dedicated NFC hierarchy
Under the notification, the National Faceless Centre will comprise a Director General NFC, along with as many Chief Commissioners Inland Revenue NFC, Commissioners Inland Revenue NFC and Officers of Inland Revenue as required.
The Director General will be responsible for the administrative affairs of the centre, including financial matters and tax-office infrastructure.
Importantly, the FBR has specified that the Director General will not participate in audit, adjudication or quality-control functions of the National Faceless Centre.
This separation is intended to distinguish the administrative responsibilities of the centre from its operational tax functions.
Exclusive jurisdiction for assigned tasks
The FBR has also established specific rules governing the concurrent jurisdiction assigned to officers working under the National Faceless Centre.
According to the order, such jurisdiction will be exclusive in terms of the tasks, tax years or tax periods assigned to the NFC.
The jurisdiction assigned to an officer will automatically cease once the particular audit, assessment, penalty proceedings or default surcharge proceedings allocated to that officer have been finalised.
Where necessary, the jurisdiction may subsequently be automatically reassigned to another authorised officer, unless the FBR directs otherwise.
This mechanism is intended to ensure that jurisdiction remains linked to specific assignments rather than continuing indefinitely after completion of the relevant proceedings.
Immediate implementation
The FBR stated that the order has been issued with the approval of the competent authority and will take immediate effect.
The creation of the National Faceless Centre represents a further institutionalisation of the FBR’s faceless tax administration framework, bringing audit, assessment, quality control and field operations within a dedicated national structure.
The arrangement also provides the FBR with flexibility to determine the number of specialised wings and officers according to the volume and nature of tax assignments.