Dr. Muhammad Iqbal

Senior Partner

Muhammad Iqbal is a retired public servant and a Pakistani national with extensive experience in the field of tax administration. He recently worked as a consultant with the Asian Development Bank and has a successful career spanning over 33 years in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the premier federal tax agency of Pakistan. With a strong academic background and a wide range of professional achievements, Iqbal has contributed significantly to tax policy development and implementation in the country.

Throughout his career, Iqbal held various positions within the FBR, both at the operational and policy levels. At the operational level, he gained extensive experience in handling corporate and noncorporate taxpayers, tax recovery, and tax administration across Pakistan. He led professional teams of officers to successfully accomplish assigned tasks and represented the tax department before superior courts, acquiring invaluable experience in jurisprudence and tax law interpretation. In the later part of his career, Iqbal worked at the FBR headquarters in tax policy for 10 years. As Chief Income Tax Policy, Chief Inland Revenue Policy, Special Assistant to Chairman FBR, and Member Inland Revenue Policy, he played a strategic and conceptual role in shaping federal tax policy. He formulated and presented proposals on various tax matters, resulting in significant policy measures to address issues related to the undocumented economy and tax culture in Pakistan. These measures led to a substantial increase in revenue and the number of tax return filers during a five-year period.

Iqbal's expertise extends to leadership, management, and negotiation with both national and international stakeholders. He successfully negotiated tax treaties with several countries and played a pivotal role in Pakistan's participation in international tax initiatives such as the OECD's Base Erosion Profit Shifting(BEPS) initiative. He also contributed to the signing of the OECD's Multilateral Convention and various multilateral agreements on the exchange of tax-related information. Additionally, Iqbal led efforts to implement the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) with numerous countries and facilitated cooperation with organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

In his role as Member Strategic Planning, Reforms & Statistics, Iqbal gained experience in data analysis, revenue forecasting, and coordination with donor agencies and government bodies. He actively participated in major policy and administrative initiatives and proposed legislation for various directorates within the FBR. He also played a key role in establishing collaborative relationships with organizations like HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom.

Iqbal holds an MBBS degree from King Edward Medical College, Lahore, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Punjab, Lahore, with majors in Philosophy and History. He has also completed various training programs, professional courses, and seminars, including those conducted by the OECD and IMF. Currently, Muhammad Iqbal is partner at Meraki Consultants, continues to work as a tax consultant and holds consultant assignments with the Asian Development Bank in the area of taxation. He is a member of Revenue and Resource Mobilization Commission set up by the Minister of Finance and Revenue and also a fellow of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.

Dr. Ikram Ghani

Partner

Dr. Ikram Ghani is a Pakistani professional with extensive experience in government service, taxation, law, accountancy, public policy, management, governance, and public health. He obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Khyber Medical College in Peshawar, an LLB from the University of Peshawar, and an MPH from Khyber Medical University in Peshawar.

Dr. Ghani has over 31 years of service in the government of Pakistan, where he worked in the Income Tax Group (now Inland Revenue Services) and gained extensive knowledge of taxation in all sectors of Pakistan's economy, including salaries, professionals, commercial, and corporate. He has administered Income Tax Circle, Income Tax Range, Income Tax Zone, and a region with over a thousand officers and officials. He also served as Chief Commissioner, Director General (Broadening Tax base), and Member Federal Board of Revenue. He was awarded the meritorious services reward and received rewards from the Federal Board of Revenue for exceeding revenue targets assigned. He topped the Final Passing Out Examination (FPOE) of the Income Tax Group conducted by the Federal Public Services Commission and was adjudged top of the course in the Senior Management Course at the National Management College, Lahore, attended by 85 officers from all groups of the Civil Services.

Currently, he is a partner at Meraki Consultants, where he provides his extensive expertise in various fields, including taxation, law, accountancy, public policy, management, governance, and public health. He also has experience in other positions such as Chairman of the Pakistan Tobacco Board, Chief Commissioner Regional Tax office, and D.G (Broadening Tax Base)/ Member (FATE) at the Federal Board of Revenue. He is fluent in Pushto, Urdu, and English.