KATI Seeks One-Month Extension in Income Tax Return Filing Deadline

KARACHI: The Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) has urged the federal government and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the income tax return filing deadline by at least one month, citing persistent technical problems with the FBR’s online IRIS portal.

KATI President Sheikh Umer Rehan said many traders and industrialists remained unable to submit their returns despite a previously granted 15-day extension. He attributed the delays to system freezes, difficulties uploading data, problems generating payment challans and slow processing.

Rehan said taxpayers should not bear the full burden of delays caused by technical failures beyond their control. He warned that such problems were creating frustration across the business community and putting taxpayers under unnecessary pressure.

KATI Calls for Reliable Tax Filing System

Rehan said the business and industrial community was prepared to cooperate with the government to increase tax revenues, broaden the tax base and support economic growth. However, he stressed that these goals required an efficient, reliable and user-friendly tax filing system.

He added that the government should prioritise taxpayer facilitation and maintain public confidence in the tax system. When online services fail, authorities should introduce practical measures to help taxpayers meet their legal obligations without facing avoidable difficulties.

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Demand for Penalty Waiver

The KATI president urged the FBR to address the IRIS portal’s technical shortcomings, strengthen system capacity and improve technical support to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

He called for an extension of at least one month and a waiver of late-filing fees and penalties for taxpayers whose submissions had been delayed by technical faults.

According to Rehan, additional time would allow businesses to prepare accurate and complete returns, potentially supporting better tax compliance.

He also appealed to the prime minister and the finance minister to take immediate notice of the issue and direct the FBR to resolve the difficulties faced by industrialists and other taxpayers.