ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday amended rules under which annual income tax return form will be available on January 31 every year following the financial year to which the return relates.
The FBR issued SRO 1185(I)/2020 to amend Income Tax Rules 2002. Previously, the FBR issued SRO 1041(I)/2020 dated October 13, 2020 to notify draft rules and invited suggestions from the stakeholders.
The FBR introduced Rule 34A for making it mandatory that the annual income tax return form shall be available by January 31 every on IRIS portal and ready for filing by taxpayers.
The text of the new rule 34A is as:
34A. Time limit for notifying income tax return form:
(1) This rule shall apply for the purpose of setting timelines in respect of various steps involved in notifying income tax return forms for a tax year.
(2) The return form specified in sub rule (2) of rule 34 shall be notified for suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby on or before the first day of December of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates by observing following timelines:
(a) Inland Revenue Policy Wing shall identify the legal amendments to be incorporated in income tax return forms by thirty-first day of August of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates;
(b) preparation of change request form (CRF) shall be finalized by Inland Revenue Policy Wing and Information Technology Wing, in consultation with PRAL, by fifteenth day of September of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates;
(c) analysis and scrutiny of change request form (CRF) by Chief Income Tax Policy and Chief Business Domain Team shall be conducted by sixteenth day of September of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates and the same shall be submitted to Member Inland Revenue Policy for approval on the same day;
d) PRAL shall complete configuration and development of the approved CRF by thirty first day of October of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates; and
(e) User Acceptance Test (UAT) of the amended return forms on testing environment shall be finalized by Inland Revenue Policy Wing and Information Technology Wing, in consultation with PRAL, by fifteenth day of November of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates and the same shall be submitted to Member Inland Revenue Policy for approval on the same day.
(3) The return form shall be remain available on the portal for suggestion till seventh day of January of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates.
(4) The final return form shall be notified on or before the thirty first day of January of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates by observing following timelines:
(a) Inland Revenue Policy Wing and Information Technology Wing shall review the suggestions received from stakeholders by twelfth day of January of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates;
(b) a new change request form, if required, shall be finalized by Inland Revenue Policy Wing and Information Technology Wing, in consultation with PRAL, by 15th day of January of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates and the same shall be approved by Member Inland Revenue;
(c) PRAL shall complete configuration and development of the approved CRF by 20th day of January of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates;
(d) User Acceptance Test (UAT) of the final return forms on testing environment shall be finalized by Inland Revenue Policy Wing and Information Technology Wing, in consultation with PRAL, by 25th day of January of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates and the same shall be submitted to Member Inland Revenue Policy for approval;
(e) final income tax return forms shall be available on IRIS by the thirty day of January of the financial year following the financial year to which the return relates;
(f) in case, any further amendments are made in the financial year to which the return relates that have an impact on the finally notified income tax return forms referred to a clause (e), such amendments shall also be incorporated accordingly; and
(g) notwithstanding anything contained in this rule, the time so specified may, if requested by the Member Inland Revenue Policy, be extended by the Board to such extent and subject to such conditions and limitations as it may deep proper.
