ISLAMABAD: Penalty amount for late return filing has been reduced up to 75 percent in order to encourage people to make compliance of mandatory filing of declaration of income.
Sources in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said that the reduction in penalty amount has been made part of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 and amendments have been introduced through Tax Laws (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2021.
They said that the penalty amount will be reduced by 75 percent in case tax return is filed within one month after the due date for filing income tax return.
According to a commentary on Tax Laws (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 released by PwC A. F. Ferguson & Co. the law prescribes penalty for non-filing of return of income within due date as under:
- a) 0.1 per cent of tax payable for the tax year under consideration for each day of default, subject to minimum penalty of Rs. 40,000 and maximum penalty up to 50 per cent of the tax payable for the tax year under consideration;
- b) In case, 75 per cent of the income is from salary, and the same is less than Rs. 5 million, minimum penalty is Rs. 5,000
However, two new provisos have been added whereby:
- a) Minimum penalty has been prescribed at Rs. 5,000 if taxable income for the year is up to Rs. 800,000; and
- b) Amount of penalty is reduced by:
75 per cent if the return of income is filed within one month of the due date;
50 per cent if the return of income is filed within two months of the due date;
25 per cent if the return of income is filed within three months of the due date.
