Karachi, July 16, 2025 – The Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) has drawn urgent attention to persistent operational difficulties being faced by taxpayers and consultants in accessing the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) IRIS portal, particularly related to login authentication.
In a formal letter addressed to FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial, the KTBA outlined several technical and procedural challenges that are obstructing timely compliance, especially for filing the June 2025 sales tax return.
KTBA President Ali A. Rahim emphasized that while the association supports FBR’s commitment to enhanced security through QR code-based login mechanisms, the current implementation of the IRIS authentication protocol has proven impractical in many real-world scenarios. The biggest hurdle, the letter notes, is the exclusive delivery of QR codes to the registered mobile number of the taxpayer — a process that restricts access in cases such as:
1. Overseas taxpayers unable to receive SMS from Pakistan-based servers.
2. Corporate taxpayers where the registered number belongs to a director or employee unavailable at the time of filing.
3. Authorized representatives (e.g., tax consultants or e-intermediaries) who cannot access IRIS despite holding legal authorization to act on a client’s behalf.
To resolve these issues, KTBA has proposed a series of practical solutions aimed at improving functionality without compromising security:
Proposed Solutions
1. Activate E-Intermediary Functionality:
Fully operationalize Section 52A of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and Rule 2(10)(ac) of the Income Tax Rules, 2002 to allow authorized intermediaries access to client data and enable return filing, appeals, and other submissions via the IRIS portal.
2. Triple-Channel QR Code Delivery:
Simultaneously send QR codes via SMS, WhatsApp, and email, enabling flexibility in login authentication for both local and overseas taxpayers.
3. Multiple Access for Corporate Users:
Permit multiple compliance officers to access a company’s IRIS account using credentials tied to the business’s NTN to ensure continuity in case of personnel unavailability.
4. Grace Period for Profile Updates:
Provide a 60-day grace period for updating registered mobile numbers and emails within IRIS, after which changes would be permitted only via QR verification to ensure security.
The KTBA also urged the FBR to extend the deadline for the June 2025 sales tax return filing to July 30, 2025, to prevent penalties caused solely by system-induced delays. The association reiterated that these recommendations align with FBR’s digitalization strategy while preserving taxpayer rights under Pakistani law. Without immediate action, IRIS system flaws could unfairly penalize compliant taxpayers facing unavoidable technical constraints, the KTBA warned.