MULTAN: The Multan Tax Bar Association (MTBA) has formally urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to accept applications for extensions in return filing deadlines without imposing restrictive conditions.
In a recent communication addressed to Badshah Khan Wazir, Member of IR Operations at the FBR, MTBA President Malik Khadim Hussain raised several pressing concerns affecting taxpayers. The association stressed the necessity for a more flexible approach, particularly for those encountering genuine difficulties, citing frequent technical challenges with the FBR’s online tax portal, IRIS, which often becomes overloaded during critical filing periods.
To address these issues, the MTBA proposed that manual extension applications be permitted at designated Tax Facilitation Desks (TFDs) under Section 119 of the Income Tax Ordinance.
Moreover, the MTBA expressed concerns over the “en masse rejection” of extension requests, especially noted in Multan, where many applications were reportedly denied without adequate consideration.
The association called on FBR leadership to ensure that each application is evaluated based on its individual merits to prevent the unfair categorization of legitimate taxpayers as late filers.
Additionally, the MTBA criticized the imposition of tax pre-payment conditions for granting extensions, arguing that such practices lack legal backing and are arbitrary in nature. Ultimately, the MTBA believes that granting extensions without conditions would not only alleviate taxpayer grievances but also promote improved cooperation between taxpayers and tax authorities.
