The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday announced it is extending the deadline for the filing of income tax returns by 15 days, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 15.
In a circular, the tax body said it was extending the deadline in exercise of powers conferred under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. According to the circular, the decision followed “requests from various trade bodies and tax bar associations.”
Ahead of the expiration of the original deadline, the FBR had repeatedly urged citizens to file their tax returns on time, warning of strict penalties and fines and maintaining there would be no extensions. Mere hours before announcing the extension, the tax body had also rejected as fake a circular on social media claiming a month’s extension to the deadline.
Earlier this week, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Atif Ikram Sheikh had urged the government and the FBR to extend the deadline for filing income tax returns by one month to facilitate trade, industry, and other tax filers. He had stressed that the extension would ensure maximum tax compliance, broaden the tax base, and alleviate pressure currently faced by the business community, small and medium enterprises, and individual taxpayers.
Citizens had also complained of technical concerns arising from the FBR’s IRIS portal, noting it was difficult to meet the deadline amidst this scenario.