Karachi, September 24, 2025 – A storm of confusion has erupted across Pakistan as tax practitioners have abruptly stopped the filing of annual income tax returns for the year 2025.
The sudden halt comes after shocking and unannounced changes were introduced in IRIS, the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) online tax portal.
On Wednesday morning, the FBR quietly updated the 2025 tax return form, making it mandatory for taxpayers to declare the market value of all movable and immovable assets before they could proceed. The move triggered immediate outrage among tax professionals who labeled the decision “illegal” and beyond the FBR’s authority.
“You simply cannot move ahead with filing unless you declare property values in the new return form,” said Muhammad Zeeshan Merchant, former president of the Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA). He further questioned the legal status of the returns already filed before the amendment, arguing that any such change must first be notified through the official Gazette.
While no official figures are available, estimates suggest that nearly 1.5 million tax returns may have already been submitted prior to the sudden update. The development has thrown taxpayers, businesses, and consultants into disarray, with many warning that compliance may grind to a halt if clarity is not provided immediately.
Already struggling with glitches on IRIS, stakeholders fear that this abrupt change will unleash fresh complications, turning the 2025 tax filing season into one of the most chaotic in Pakistan’s history.