President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Muffasar Atta Malik has demanded that the last date for filing Income Tax/ Sales Tax Returns be extended by October 31, 2017, which would enable those taxpayers, who had been facing problems in filing their returns due to numerous reasons, to submit their returns.
Malik said that many taxpayers might not be able to file returns by September 30 due to slow processing and constant congestions in the online system, IRIS, followed by the Ashura holidays. The internet and mobile phone services were totally suspended in Karachi and in other parts of Sindh on 8th Muharram and would continue to remain suspended on 9th and 10th Muharram-ul-Haram as well, therefore, many taxpayers would not be able to submit their returns online by September 30, 2017.
He noted that IRIS servers were also too busy due to excessive load throughout last week as large number of taxpayers was simultaneously filing Income Tax/ Sales Tax Returns under section 147 and monthly statement under section 165 of the Income Tax Ordinance.
The KCCI president said that the complications in the online system were not something new to taxpayers because submitting returns usually becomes an uphill task every year. He requested the FBR to seriously focus on enhancing the capacity of its online system which was not even capable of smoothly handling a meagre number of less than 1 percent registered taxpayers. "FBR must consider all these aspects and accordingly provide relief to loyal taxpayers by extending the last date for filing returns up to October 31, 2017," he urged.