KARACHI: The SITE Association of Industry has called on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the deadline for filing monthly sales tax returns, citing severe technical challenges faced by taxpayers using the FBR’s online IRIS system.
Ahmed Azeem Alvi, President of the SITE Association of Industry, expressed grave concerns over the persistent issues encountered by businesses and individuals attempting to file their sales tax returns. In a statement, he highlighted several obstacles preventing timely submission, including sudden changes in the Harmonized System (HS) Code regime, non-acceptance of units of measurement, and annexure upload failures within the IRIS system.
Alvi stressed that these problems are widespread and impacting taxpayers across multiple industries. He pointed out that the abrupt enforcement of the 8-digit HS Code, combined with technical inefficiencies in the system, has left businesses struggling to complete their sales tax return filings. These disruptions have severely hampered the entire supply chain, preventing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers from fulfilling their tax obligations on time.
The SITE President also warned that if these issues are not addressed urgently, businesses will face unnecessary penalties, and the government’s tax collection efforts will be adversely affected. He urged authorities to recognize the challenges taxpayers are facing and provide them with the necessary relief by extending the sales tax return filing deadline.
To resolve the matter, Alvi has made an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan. He called on them to take immediate action by directing the FBR to rectify the glitches in the IRIS system and grant an extension of at least two weeks for filing sales tax returns.
The SITE Association emphasized that a swift resolution to these technical difficulties is critical for ensuring compliance and maintaining smooth business operations. The association remains hopeful that the government will acknowledge the concerns of taxpayers and implement the necessary measures to facilitate a seamless tax filing process.
