A statement issued at the start of the week announced that the Bureau of Internal Revenue was teaming up with the Anti-Money Laundering Council to boost the campaigns against tax evasion and money laundering. This is a welcome development, although people are wondering why it took so long. The BIR and AMLC have related mandates, and strengthening cooperation between the two agencies should have been pursued since the council was created pursuant to Republic Act 9160, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.