Islamabad, May 30, 2025 — The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday extended the deadline for filing the sales tax return for the month of April 2025.
In a move that offers temporary relief to the business community and tax practitioners, the FBR has pushed the due date to June 5, 2025, instead of the previously set deadline of May 18, 2025.
The decision to extend the sales tax return filing deadline was made under the authority granted by Section 74 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, and Section 43 of the Federal Excise Act, 2005. The FBR has communicated the new date to all Chief Commissioners of Inland Revenue across Large Taxpayer Offices (LTOs), Medium Taxpayer Office (MTO), Corporate Tax Offices (CTOs), and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs). However, the extension is conditional upon timely payment of the due sales tax liability.
This latest deadline extension comes in response to mounting pressure from the business community and tax professionals who have reported persistent technical issues on the FBR’s IRIS portal. The portal underwent major structural changes in recent months, including the introduction of new annexures intended to enhance tax documentation. Unfortunately, these upgrades have led to widespread confusion, data errors, and difficulty in filing accurate returns.
According to the Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA), the new system has resulted in only a small fraction of filers successfully submitting their returns for March and April. The PTBA has formally written to FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial, urging a further extension—ideally until June 30—to resolve the persistent system flaws. They emphasized that most taxpayers are struggling to navigate the changes and risk penalties despite making genuine efforts to comply.
“Taxpayers are being set up for failure,” read the PTBA’s letter. “The annexures may be well-intentioned, but unresolved technical issues are compromising the entire sales tax filing process.”
The association also called on the FBR to allow revisions for flawed returns submitted due to the new annexures—without imposing any penalties. Numerous bar associations across Pakistan have echoed these concerns, reporting a surge in complaints and confusion over the sales tax return filing procedure.
As the new June 5 deadline approaches, tax professionals warn that unless the FBR stabilizes the system, confidence in Pakistan’s tax administration—and particularly in sales tax compliance—may suffer lasting damage.