Lahore, September 29, 2025 – The Lahore Tax Bar Association (LTBA) has voiced strong concerns over the ongoing glitches in the income tax return filing process for tax year 2025, urging the government to extend the deadline to December 31, 2025.
The call comes amid mounting frustration among taxpayers and practitioners who have been struggling with the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) digital system.
In a detailed letter to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday, LTBA President Muhammad Asif Rana underlined that the IRIS portal, the primary platform for online return filing, remained non-functional for most of the day. He said taxpayers were unable to file income tax returns or even generate payment challans, creating unnecessary hurdles just before the deadline.
The LTBA also criticized frequent modifications to return forms, describing them as “confusing and unfair” for taxpayers who were already grappling with the complexities of compliance. “It has become impossible for many citizens to discharge their duty of return filing within the given timeframe,” the association noted.
The tax bar recalled that it had already highlighted these challenges in a letter sent on September 23, 2025, warning the government about persistent procedural and technical issues. However, it said that no meaningful action had been taken by the authorities to address these concerns.
Another issue flagged by the LTBA was the sudden removal of the payment details tab from the MIS section of the IRIS system. The association said the change was “illegal and unjustified,” adding that it has only compounded the difficulties in filing returns for both taxpayers and their representatives.
The LTBA stressed that under Section 118 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, taxpayers are entitled to a statutory period of 92 days from the close of the financial year to submit their returns. But in this case, the notification for return filing was issued on August 18, nearly seven weeks late, effectively nullifying the benefit of the statutory period.
“These ongoing failures not only obstruct taxpayers but also risk lowering revenue collection,” the association said, adding that the FBR has failed to ensure both the timely publication of return forms and the smooth functioning of its filing portal.
The LTBA concluded by urging the finance minister to direct the FBR to extend the deadline for income tax return filing until December 31, 2025. Such a step, it argued, would ensure fairness, protect taxpayer rights, and restore confidence in the system.