FBR allows filing Annexure-H for July – October up to April 15

FBR allows filing Annexure-H for July – October up to April 15

ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has allowed taxpayers to submit their stock position for the period July – October 2019 up to April 15, 2020 in order to claim sales tax refunds under newly only verification and issuance system.

In an official memorandum issued on Friday, the FBR condoned the time limit for filing of Annexure – H for the tax period July – October 2019 up to April 15, 2020.

Annexure-H is a statement for providing stock position by taxpayers along with monthly sales tax return.

The FBR from July 01, 2019 introduced expeditious payment of sales tax refunds within 72 hours subject to the true filing of Annexure – H.

Recently, Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) highlighted this issue and urged the tax authorities to resolve for facilitating exporters and manufacturers.

The KTBA pointed out that as per the amendments made in Sales Tax Rules, 2006 vide SRO no. 918(I)/2019 dated August 7, 2019, mechanism for expeditious processing of refund claim has been devised only for manufacturers-cum- exporters.

As per the Rules, refund will be treated as having been filed only after filing of Annexure H of the Sales Tax return, for which deadline of 120 days has been prescribed in the Rules and the same can be extended for a period of 60 days on the basis of approval from the Commissioner.

However, the rules are silent about the mechanism for processing of Sales Tax refunds incase Annexure H has not been filed by manufacturer-cum-exporter for any reason. Considering the legal and legitimate right of the taxpayer to claim adjustment / refund of the input tax, either of the following two option be considered by the FBR for facilitation of exporters:

Allow filing of Annexure H without any time limit [present time limit of 4 months be abolished and taxpayer be allowed to claim refund as and when required] ii. Incase present limit of 4 months cannot be abolished, registered persons be allowed at least to alternatively file refund on annual basis after the end of the tax year.

Apart from the above, Annexure H is only being allowed to be filed to taxpayers who have filed the said Annexure from sales tax returns of July 2019 and onwards. Instead of claiming refund, some taxpayers have reported sales tax carried forward balance in their sales tax returns from July 2019 onwards. In case they now intend to file Annexure H from the current month,

FBR’s online portal does not allow such taxpayers to enter opening balance of inventory / raw materials as the said field in blocked for editing. This limitation should be removed and taxpayers should be allowed to file Annexure H for any specific month, for which they intend to claim refund.

From apparent mechanism being followed by the system, it appears that those taxpayers who have not filed Annexure H for the month of July 2019 will never be allowed to file Annexure H for any subsequent month. This apparent anomaly should be resolved at earliest.