Karachi, April 11, 2025 – Frustrated by persistent technical failures in the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) IRIS portal, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has formally appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for immediate intervention to address the growing tax compliance crisis facing the business community.
KCCI President Muhammad Jawed Bilwani has sent a strongly worded letter to the Prime Minister, highlighting how continued malfunctions in the IRIS system are obstructing businesses from fulfilling their statutory tax obligations. According to KCCI, thousands of tax-compliant businesses across Pakistan have been unable to file their sales tax returns due to unresolved glitches in the IRIS platform.
One of the most disruptive issues is the IRIS system’s restriction of the Unit of Measurement (UOM) field to only “Kilograms (Kgs),” rendering it incompatible with the needs of many industries that require measurements in Pieces (Pcs), Litres, or Meters. KCCI described this as a fundamental flaw that reflects the FBR’s lack of understanding of industry-specific requirements.
“This is not just a technical fault—it’s a systemic failure that is penalizing legitimate businesses,” Bilwani remarked. He noted that despite FBR’s acknowledgement of the IRIS issue on March 20, 2025, no meaningful progress has been made, and businesses continue to suffer the consequences.
KCCI further expressed its disappointment over the indifferent behavior of FBR leadership. During a recent visit to the FBR Head Office in Islamabad, Bilwani was left waiting for over an hour to meet the Member (Sales Tax), who failed to show up. Meanwhile, Chief Sales Tax Officer Dr. Ali Adnan Zaidi acknowledged that numerous complaints regarding IRIS had been received, but no action had been taken.
Bilwani stressed that KCCI had made multiple attempts to reach FBR officials—including the Chairman and Member (Sales Tax)—via formal letters and calls, all of which went unanswered. “This neglect is not just toward KCCI but represents a larger disregard for the entire business community,” he warned.
KCCI reiterated its demand for an immediate and comprehensive fix to the IRIS portal, holding those responsible accountable, and establishing an effective, consultative mechanism between the FBR and stakeholders. “We urge PM Shehbaz to personally intervene. The credibility of IRIS—and the government’s commitment to ease of doing business—is at stake,” Bilwani concluded.