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ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Thursday admitted serious technical problems in IRIS – the return filing portal – and extended the date by 15 days.
In a circular issued by the FBR stated that the revenue body had extended the date of filing of the income tax return for tax year 2021 by 15 days i.e. up to October 15, 2021 due to “serious technical problems” in online return filing system (IRIS).
Only a day earlier, the FBR claimed that the IRIS portal was working normally and it had received 150,000 returns on September 28, 2021.
On the basis of the claim, the revenue body categorically refused to extend the date i.e. September 30, 2021 for return filing for tax year 2021.
It is surprising that in the latest circular the FBR admitted the flaws in the online system because it had claimed a day earlier that the system is working seamlessly and around 150,000 returns were filed on September 28, 2021, which was the highest ever number filed in a single day.
It was further claimed by the FBR that it had enhanced its system capacity to provide seamless services to taxpayers.
Muhammad Zeeshan Merchange, KTBA, President, said that despite FBR’s denial of system glitches finally the date has been extended. He said that it was not expected from the FBR to admit the return filing system failure, he said in a tweet message.
Now it's Official now. #FBR has extended the date by 15 days.
It is pertinent to mention that Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin in a meeting with office bearers of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Thursday already announced to extend the return filing date for 15 days.
216A. Proceeding against authority and persons.- (1) Subject to section 227, the Board shall prescribe rules for initiating criminal proceedings against any authority mentioned in section 207 and officer of the Directorate General mentioned in Part II and Part III of Chapter XI including any person subordinate to the aforesaid authorities or officers of the Directorates General who wilfully and deliberately commits or omits an act which results in under benefit or advantage to the authority or the officer or official or to any other person.
(2) Where proceedings under sub-section (1) have been initiated against the authority or officer or official, the Board shall simultaneously intimate the relevant Government agency to initiate criminal proceedings against the person referred to in sub-section (1)
(3) The proceedings under this section shall be without prejudice to any other liability that the authority or officer or official or the person may incur under any other law for the time being in force.
(Disclaimer: The text of the above section is only for information. Team PkRevenue.com makes all efforts to provide the correct version of the text. However, the team PkRevenue.com is not responsible for any error or omission.)
As the clock ticks down on the last day for filing income tax returns in Pakistan, taxpayers are encountering significant challenges with the country’s online return filing portal, IRIS.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued a statement on Wednesday asserting that the return filing system at IRIS portal is working seamlessly, receiving an impressive 150,000 returns on September 28, 2021.
KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday announced it will not extend the last date for filing income tax returns for tax year 2021. However, taxpayers may apply for filing date extension as per Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.
The FBR in a communication sent to all the field office of Inland Revenue informed it had been decided that last date of filing of returns i.e. September 30, 2021 will not be extended for individuals, Association of Persons (AOPs) and companies which are required to file income tax returns by the due date.
Thus, while it is important that the date of filing of tax returns for tax year 2021, being September 30, 2021, is retained as the final date for the purpose, it is absolutely necessary that Commissioners generously grant extensions in all cases of the hardship of any nature.
“In order to render the entire process of filing for extension and granting of time to taxpayers for filing of tax returns, IRIS is being modified to make it facilitative and less time-consuming.”
The FBR said that the chief commissioners, both in terms of administrative responsibilities as well as legal powers vested in term under Section 119(4) ibid, are required to be fully vigilant and ensure that no requests for extension remain unattended in their jurisdiction.
The FBR also instructed that every Inland Revenue field formation should ensure the implementation of guidelines in respect of manual returns.
216. Disclosure of information by a public servant.- (1) All particulars contained in –
(a) any statement made, return furnished, or accounts or documents produced under the provisions of this Ordinance;
(b) any evidence given, or affidavit or deposition made, in the course of any proceedings under this Ordinance, other than proceedings under Part XI of Chapter X; or
(c) any record of any assessment proceedings or any proceeding relating to the recovery of a demand,
shall be confidential and no public servant save as provided in this Ordinance may disclose any such particulars.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Qanun-e-Shahadat, 1984 (P.O. Order No. 10 of 1984), or any other law for the time being in force, no court or other authority shall be, save as provided in this Ordinance, entitled to require any public servant to produce before it any return, accounts, or documents contained in, or forming a part of the records relating to any proceedings under this Ordinance, or any records of the Income Tax Department generally, or any part thereof, or to give evidence before it in respect thereof.
(3) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall preclude the disclosure of any such particulars –
(a) to any person acting in the execution of this Ordinance, where it is necessary to disclose the same to him for the purposes of this Ordinance;
(b) to any person authorised by the Commissioner in this behalf, where it is necessary to disclose the same to such person for the purposes of processing of data and preparation of computer printouts relating to returns of income or calculation of tax;
(c) where the disclosure is occasioned by the lawful employment under this Ordinance of any process for the service of any notice or the recovery of any demand; (d) to the Auditor-General of Pakistan for the purpose of enabling the Auditor-General to discharge his functions under the Constitution;
(e) to any officer appointed by the Auditor-General of Pakistan or the Commissioner to audit income tax receipts or refunds;
(f ) to any officer of the Federal Government or a Provincial Government authorised by such Government in this behalf as may be necessary for the purpose of enabling that Government to levy or realise any tax imposed by it;
(g) to any authority exercising powers under the Federal Excise Act, 2005, the Sales Tax Act, 1990, the Wealth Tax Act, 1963 (XV of 1963), or the Customs Act, 1969 (IV of 1969), as may be necessary for the purpose of enabling its duty to exercise such powers;
(h) occasioned by the lawful exercise by a public servant of powers under the Stamp Act, 1899 (II of 1899) to impound an insufficiently stamped document;
(i) to the State Bank of Pakistan to enable it to compile financial statistics of international investment and balance of payment;
(j) as may be required by any order made under sub-section (2) of section 19 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 (VII of 1947), or for the purposes of any prosecution for an offence under section 23 of that Act;
(k) to the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Monopolies Control Authority for the purposes of the Securities and Exchange Ordinance, 1969 (XVII of 1969), the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices (Control and Prevention) Ordinance, 1970 (VI of 1970), the Companies Act, 2017 (XIX of 2017) or the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Act, 1997, as the case may be;
(ka) Employees Old Age Benefit Institution in respect of information regarding salaries in statements furnished under section 165;
(kb) to National Database and Registration Authority for the purpose of broadening of the tax base;
(l) relevant to any inquiry into a charge of misconduct in connection with income tax proceedings against a legal practitioner or an accountant;
(m) to a Civil Court in any suit or proceeding to which the Federal Government or any income tax authority is a party which relates to any matter arising out of any proceedings under this Ordinance;
(n) for the purposes of a prosecution for any offence under the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 (XLVI of 1860), in respect of any such statement, returns, accounts, documents, evidence, affidavit or deposition, or for the purposes of a prosecution for any offence under this Ordinance;
(o) relevant to any inquiry into the conduct of an official of the Income Tax Department to any person or officer appointed to hold such inquiry, or to a Public Service Commission, established under the Federal Public Service Commission Ordinance, 1977 (XLV of 1977), when exercising its functions in relation to any matter arising out of such inquiry;
(p) as may be required by any officer or department of the Federal Government or of a Provincial Government for the purpose of investigation into the conduct and affairs of any public servant, or to a Court in connection with any prosecution of the public servant arising out of any such investigation;
(q) to an authorised officer of the government of any country outside Pakistan with which the Government has entered into an agreement under section 107 for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion as may be required to be disclosed in pursuance of that agreement; or
(r) to the Federal Tax Ombudsman appointed under the Establishment of the Office of Federal Tax Ombudsman Ordinance, 2000 (XXXV of 2000); or
(s) to the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) for the purpose of performing functions as laid down in the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 (VII of 2010).
(4) Nothing in this section shall apply to the production by a public servant before a Court of any document, declaration, or affidavit filed or the giving of evidence by a public servant in respect thereof.
(5) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall prevent the Board from publishing, with the prior approval of the Federal Government, any such particulars as are referred to in that sub-section.
(6) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall prevent the Federal Government from publishing particulars and the amount of tax paid by a holder of a public office as defined in the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, 1999 (XVIII of 1999).
(6A) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall prevent the Board from providing data to any person approved by the Federal Government to process and analyze such data for broadening of tax base or for checking evasion:
Provided that such data shall be anonymized before transmission to the person and identifying particulars of the taxpayers shall be kept confidential.”
(6B) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall prevent the Board from publishing the names of offshore evaders, in the print and electronic media who have evaded offshore tax equal to or exceeding rupees two and half million Rupees.
(6C) Nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall prevent the Board from publishing the names of offshore tax enablers, in the print and electronic media who have enabled offshore tax evasion.
(7) Any person to whom any information is communicated under this section, and any person or employee under the first-mentioned person’s control, shall be, in respect of that information, subject to the same rights, privileges, obligations, and liabilities as if the person were a public servant and all the provisions of this Ordinance, so far as may be, shall apply accordingly.
(8) No prosecution may be instituted under this section except with the previous sanction of the Board.
(Disclaimer: The text of the above section is only for information. Team PkRevenue.com makes all efforts to provide the correct version of the text. However, the team PkRevenue.com is not responsible for any error or omission.)
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday directed offices of Inland Revenue (IR) to observe extended working hours to facilitate taxpayers in payment of duty and taxes.
In an official memorandum, the FBR directed all the IR offices including Large Taxpayers Office (LTOs), Medium Tax Office (MTO), Corporate Tax Offices (CTOs) and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) to open and observe extended working hours till 9:00 PM on Wednesday September 29, 2021 and till 12:00 midnight on Thursday, September 30, 2021, to facilitate the taxpayers in payment of duties and taxes.
The FBR directed chief commissioners Inland Revenue to establish liaison with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and authorized branches of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to ensure transfer of tax collection by these branches on September 30, 2021 to the respective branches of the SBP on the same date so as to account for the same towards the collection for the month of September 2021.
Earlier in the day the SBP also issued instructions to the banks to facilitate the taxpayers in payment of duty and taxes.
The SBP said that the SBP-BSC offices and NBP branches (A, B and C category) shall observe extended banking hours till 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM on September 29, 2021 and September 30, 2021, respectively for collection of government taxes and duties through manual mode as well as Alternate Delivery Channels (ADCs) mode at Over-the-Counter (OTC) facility.
The SBP further said that in order to ensure same day settlement of tax collection on September 30, 2021, following special clearing and settlement will be arranged through M/s. NIFT and 1Link:
a. M/s. NIFT shall arrange special clearing at 7:00 PM on September 30, 2021 for same-day clearing of payment instruments.
b. M/s. 1Link shall arrange to provide the settlement batch of transactions executed through ADCs platform till 10:00 PM on September 30, 2021 to the SBP for settlement in government accounts.
The NBP branches shall settle their transactions of September 30, 2021, with respective SBP-BSC field offices / head office latest by 10:00 PM same day i.e. September 30, 2021.
The SBP said that in order to eliminate the issue of spillover of tax receipts, NBP shall ensure that no instrument concerning government receipts, lodged in aforesaid office hours, shall remain unattended at any NBP branch and shall be settled in the value date of September 30, 2021 through special clearing.
In a statement, FPCCI President Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, demanded the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the deadline for tax filing by two months to facilitate the business community and support the government’s drive to broaden the tax base and collect maximum taxes.
FPCCI Chief, referring to the fast-approaching deadline of September 30, 2021, i.e. Thursday; and, recommended to the authorities that on the basis of feedback from businesses across Pakistan, FPCCI maintains that hundreds of thousands of SME owners will not be able to file their income taxes by Thursday.
Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo said that FBR has notified a daily surcharge of 0.1 per cent for delayed filing on taxable income; which is not only harsh but also impractical as it translates into 3 per cent per month and 36 per cent per annum.
The maximum surcharge by FBR should not be more than KIBOR plus 2 per cent; which also happens to be the rate when FBR delays the processing of tax refunds.
Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, as President FPCCI, has reiterated his stance that FBR should stop taking one-sided radical anti-business decisions; instead, should have a detailed consultative process with the business, industry and trade community of Pakistan and FPCCI is ever-ready to provide its platform as their apex representative body.
KARACHI: Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) on Tuesday apprised Prime Minister Imran Khan about difficulties in the return filing and requested for date extension up to December 31, 2021.
215. Furnishing of returns, documents etc. —(1) Where, by virtue of an order under section 210, the Commissioner has delegated to any an officer of Inland Revenue the function and power to receive, or to call for and receive, any returns of income, certificates, documents, accounts and statements from any person the person shall furnish such returns, certificates, documents, accounts and statements to that officer of Inland Revenue and, when furnished, shall be treated as having been furnished to the Commissioner.
(2) where a person is allowed, under any provision of this Ordinance, to make an application to the Commissioner and the Commissioner has delegated to any officer of Inland Revenue the function or power to receive the application, such application, when made, shall be treated as having been made to the Commissioner.
(Disclaimer: The text of the above section is only for information. Team PkRevenue.com makes all efforts to provide the correct version of the text. However, the team PkRevenue.com is not responsible for any error or omission.)
