The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced that its offices will remain open on Sunday to facilitate taxpayers in filing their income tax returns, as the September 30 deadline approaches. With just one day remaining, many individuals are encountering issues accessing the FBR’s website.
The online tax filing platform, IRIS, has been plagued by outages, leaving numerous taxpayers unable to submit their returns. FBR officials have acknowledged the technical problems and assured the public that efforts are underway to fix the issues, aiming to ensure that no one is left unable to file due to system failures.
Despite the extension of office hours, the FBR remains firm on not extending the September 30 deadline. This has sparked growing frustration among taxpayers who are concerned about meeting the deadline due to the website’s unreliability.
Several business groups, including the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), have voiced their concerns regarding the difficulties faced by taxpayers. They have called on the FBR to extend the tax filing deadline by at least one month, citing the technical problems with the IRIS system as a significant obstacle for businesses and individuals alike.
While the FBR has yet to respond to these requests, many are hoping for leniency in light of the challenges posed by the current system outages.
