Karachi, September 21, 2023 – The Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) has made the decision not to request an extension of the deadline for tax return filing, despite encountering glitches and issues on the online portal provided by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
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KTBA President, Syed Zafar Ahmed, emphasized the need for an error-free and fully operational online portal. He stated, “Once it is done, taxpayers should be given three months for filing tax returns as per statute.”
The deadline for filing income tax returns for the tax year 2023 is September 30, and the FBR has claimed that the system is working seamlessly. However, KTBA has expressed concerns about the functionality of the FBR’s online income tax return filing system, highlighting numerous issues.
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Zafar Ahmed explained that as of September 20, 2023, the online portal was still plagued with errors and was not functioning satisfactorily. While some issues had been resolved, many others remained unaddressed. Despite these challenges, KTBA has chosen not to request an extension of the filing deadline.
The FBR recently launched IRIS 2.0, an upgraded version of the return filing portal, without conducting a pilot run, leading to various challenges for taxpayers in fulfilling their tax obligations.
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KTBA has communicated its concerns to the FBR chief in multiple letters dated September 2 and September 6, highlighting critical issues related to return filing. The tax bar’s stance is that it is the responsibility of tax authorities to promptly address and resolve these issues before announcing the return filing period.
While KTBA has opted not to seek an extension, they continue to call for urgent attention to improve the functionality and reliability of the online portal to facilitate taxpayers in fulfilling their tax obligations efficiently.
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