Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) has declared newly-introduced IRIS system for e-filing of income tax returns as unfriendly, which create difficulties for taxpayers. The Association has urged the Federal Boar of Revenue (FBR) to look into the matter and extend the last date for e-filing of returns till December 31, 2014 to facilitate taxpayers.
In a letter sent to FBR, PTBA said that taxpayers and tax consultants were spending extra time to prepare the tax returns on new IRIS system but still encountering multiple factual and legal problems which were to be sorted out and resolved on priority basis as taxpayers of the country were still unable to e-file their tax returns for the tax year. It further said that this newly-introduced IRIS System was not catering all the legal requirements of the prescribed tax return and wealth statement forms introduced for the tax year 2014.
The letter said that PTBA always assisted the FBR and PRAL to resolve these issues of e-filing of the tax return and wealth statement forms 2014 mutually in order to facilitate the members of the tax bars and also all the taxpayers of the country. Unfortunately many issues are yet to be resolved.
It said that members were facing extreme difficulties in preparing and e-filing the tax returns, adding that some issues had been resolved but many were still unaddressed. It also said that issues related to corporate tax return for the tax year 2014 were still unresolved, which also need attention as the Companies having special tax year whose deadline was also October 31, 2014 would not be able to comply with the law in the absence of the same. Keeping the problems in view, PTBA urged the FBR to look into the matter and extend the date of e-filing of returns till December 31, 2014 to facilitate taxpayers.