The Conscience Tax

Mon Abrea recounts his journey in the tax industry and in establishing the Asian Consulting Group, giving voice to taxpayers

“It’s important to know your non-negotiables,” says Mon Abrea, founding chairman and chief tax advisor of the Asian Consulting Group. The real world is a fearsome battlefield of strength, wits and conscience, where some people cannot distinguish right from wrong. “We take pride that we help people do the right thing,” he says.

Since his childhood years, Abrea has had a love for solving problems and finding solutions. This led him to be a certified public accountant. This and his Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School are the keys that help him push his advocacy. “After my one-year programme, I realised that not all problems can or must be solved right away,” he explains. “We should not be biased, and we should not focus on the personalities or people, but on the policy, the processes.”