Islamabad, Sep 30: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is likely to extend the deadline for submitting Tax Return Filing by 15 days, although no official decision has been made yet.
The business community has raised concerns about the difficulties they face in income Tax Return Filing, leading them to meet with Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir to seek additional time.
In a recent urgent message to the FBR Chairman, the Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) pointed out that compliant taxpayers are struggling to complete their tax returns due to the poor performance of the IRIS system.
Reports have surfaced indicating that the system frequently shuts down, being unavailable from midnight to 4 AM daily and operating slowly throughout the day.
The IRIS system has several critical issues, including its failure to recognize AOP-exempt income, erroneous calculations that mix minimum and normal tax liabilities, and repeated data entry requirements due to system malfunctions.
Moreover, non-residents’ wealth from the previous year is still visible and cannot be edited, while taxpayers are being asked to provide detailed financial documentation for salary income related to one-off service receipts.
In light of these ongoing problems, the PTBA has urged the FBR to extend the filing deadline from September 30, 2024, until the IRIS system can function effectively.
The association has also requested a minimum 30-day extension to allow taxpayers sufficient time to file their returns accurately and with complete disclosures.
As taxpayers await the FBR’s response, the urgency for a dependable and efficient IRIS system has become increasingly evident.
