Dual modules of FBR create problems for taxpayers

KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has started issuing audit and late-filing notices, creating serious difficulties for the taxpayers to deal with two different modules – FBR e-portal and IRIS.

According to details, the FBR is presently entertaining taxpayers with two different modules – FBR e-portal and IRIS under the sales tax regime along with the manual issuance of notices, creating serious difficulties for the taxpayers to comply the FBR directives.

The FBR e-portal is being used to process the declarations filed by the taxpayers under the Sales Tax (ST) regime and notices of audit and late filing on the other hand, are being issued through IRIS system.

The issue has been raised by the Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) through its letter, sent to the chairman FBR for rectifying the practical glitches in the system.

The letter said that the declarations under the sales tax (ST) regime were broadly regulated through old FBR e-portal; however, the field formation of the FBR were issuing audit and late-filing notices under IRIS system and added that manual notices on various counts were also issued.

The letter reminded that the board in order to arrest such unwanted situation had started issuing bar coded notices under the income tax regime in 2015 that helped the federal tax authority in eradication of all variance and the same practice was still in service by all audit and enforcement formations and also archived in IRIS, as well.

Furthermore, the KTBA suggested the FBR to replace manual issuance of sales tax notices with a barcode methodology with an option of online reply like income tax regime to remove anomalies and to provide transparency in the working of field formation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021