29/09/2024
𝐏𝐓𝐁𝐀 𝐔𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐁𝐑 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.
The Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) has issued an urgent plea to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), citing the dysfunctional state of the IRIS tax return filing portal.
In a letter addressed to FBR Chairman Rashid Mehmood, PTBA President Anwar Kashif Mumtaz called for an immediate extension of the tax return deadline by at least one month, stressing the overwhelming challenges faced by compliant taxpayers due to the technical glitches plaguing the system.
Among the myriad of issues highlighted by the PTBA, the following have emerged as particularly egregious:
• Systemic Errors in Tax Calculation: The portal is inaccurately calculating taxes for Association of Persons (AOPs) by failing to exclude exempt income, thus taxing total income that has already been taxed. This computational flaw leads to inflated tax liabilities.
• Discrepancies in Minimum Tax Calculations: A longstanding issue, the system continues to incorrectly calculate the difference between minimum tax and normal tax liability, resulting in the erroneous addition of tax amounts that should not be due.
• Challan Processing Failures: Another frequent complaint revolves around the portal’s failure to register paid challans, leaving users unable to proceed with their return submissions.
• Data Loss and Inconsistencies: Taxpayers are reporting that data entered into the system often disappears after submission, forcing them to re-enter information multiple times. This data loss not only wastes valuable time but also increases the likelihood of errors in final submissions.
• Lack of Flexibility for Non-Residents: The portal is failing to account for non-resident taxpayers by keeping last year’s wealth data uneditable, causing further complications.
The IRIS portal, which is central to the online submission of income tax returns, has reportedly been in a near-paralytic state, exacerbating the frustrations of both taxpayers and tax professionals as they scramble to meet the September 30, 2024 deadline. According to the PTBA, the system’s chronic underperformance, including frequent shutdowns and a host of computational errors, has rendered it virtually impossible for taxpayers to meet their obligations in a timely manner.
