Tax advisors, legal experts, chartered accountants, and tax practitioners have appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to extend the income tax return filing deadline to November 30, citing severe internet disruptions in Punjab and the federal capital over the past several days.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Javed Iqbal Qazi, Chairman of the Pakistan Tax Advisors Association and a Supreme Court lawyer, highlighted that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had previously extended the filing deadline for tax year 2025 from September 30 to October 15 after the IRIS online system crashed, making it inaccessible to taxpayers.
According to Qazi, internet services have been either completely suspended or extremely poor for the last four days in several parts of the country, particularly in Punjab and Islamabad, preventing many taxpayers and tax consultants from filing their returns online.
He stressed that FBR should act wisely and announce an extension in advance to avoid last-minute chaos and another potential system crash.
Qazi pointed out that due to the country’s financial difficulties, slow IRIS performance, frequent load-shedding, and the heavy workload on tax professionals, it will be nearly impossible to meet the October 15 deadline.
He further noted that preparing tax returns, generating CPRNs for tax payments, and filing through IRIS are time-consuming processes, and an additional month would provide necessary relief to taxpayers.
Tax experts from across the country have echoed this appeal, urging the Prime Minister to extend the deadline to November 30 to facilitate the public and help the FBR meet its revenue targets.
