Karachi, October 13, 2025 – The Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) has strongly recommended that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) extend the 2025 income tax return filing deadline to November 15, citing persistent technical glitches and legal ambiguities on the FBR’s online filing system.
In an official letter addressed to FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial, KTBA President Ali A. Rahim emphasized that taxpayers and tax professionals continue to face serious operational hurdles while filing returns for tax year 2025. The association highlighted that it had repeatedly alerted the FBR about these issues through a series of letters — KTBA/09.2025/078 (September 23, 2025), KTBA/09.2025/077 (September 19, 2025), KTBA/09.2025/075 (September 16, 2025), and KTBA/08.2025/071 (August 28, 2025) — all outlining technical errors and legal inconsistencies within the IRIS portal.
According to the KTBA, the most pressing issues include wrongful application of surcharge under Section 4AB on taxed income of Association of Persons (AOP) members, non-adjustment of refund claims from previous years despite proper submissions, and misclassification of taxes under Section 235. These flaws, the association warned, have made accurate and compliant filing nearly impossible for many taxpayers.
The KTBA also drew attention to Section 118 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, which grants taxpayers a 92-day period from the specified date to file returns. However, the final return form for the current tax year was notified on August 18, 2025 — effectively reducing the legally mandated filing period by 49 days. The association contended that this delay, coupled with unresolved system faults, has created an “impractical and unfair” situation for filers.
“The FBR’s late notification and ongoing system errors have left taxpayers struggling to meet deadlines that are already shortened,” the KTBA stated in its letter. “An extension until November 15 is both fair and necessary to prevent widespread non-compliance due to no fault of taxpayers.”
Tax professionals across Karachi have echoed the KTBA’s call, warning that without immediate relief, thousands of taxpayers could face penalties despite repeated efforts to comply. The KTBA’s latest appeal underscores growing frustration within the business and professional community, urging the FBR to act swiftly and restore confidence in the digital tax filing process.