PTBA Seeks Sales Tax Filing Extension to June

Islamabad, May 24 — The Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) has urgently appealed to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the deadline for filing sales tax returns for March and April 2025, citing severe technical issues with the newly introduced annexures. While backing the government’s transparency push through detailed disclosures, the PTBA warned that many registered taxpayers are struggling to file accurately within the current timeframe.

In a letter to FBR Chairperson Rashid Mahmood Langrial, the PTBA flagged unresolved discrepancies in the new annexures, noting that despite expired statutory deadlines, only a fraction of returns have been submitted. The association highlighted the risk of taxpayers being declared inactive through no fault of their own, urging an extension until June 30 or until the issues are resolved. Additionally, the PTBA proposed allowing automatic revisions via the IRIS portal for incorrect submissions caused by disclosure confusion.

The PTBA stressed that an extension would enable taxpayers to resolve discrepancies and comply with the Sales Tax Act, 1990, fostering accurate tax data collection. Web context reveals ongoing FBR portal issues (e.g., IRIS downtimes, web ID: 0), while posts found on X show taxpayer frustration—many call the system unreliable, others fear penalties. Critically, the narrative of “transparency” may mask systemic flaws—web sources note FBR tech delays, and X sentiment suggests distrust, hinting at potential non-compliance risks.