Deadline for filing of income tax returns ends today

• FBR would start raids and impose Rs40,000 fine on persons who have failed to submit their returns.
• Pakistan Tax Bar Association has requested FBR to extend the last date for filing income tax returns till Dec 31.

The deadline given by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to file income tax returns ends today, October 31, after which the board would start raids and also impose 40,000 rupees fine on persons who failed to submit their returns.

Update: The deadline has been further extended till November 30th

Earlier, the FBR extended the date of filing of Income Tax Returns/Statements for individuals and Associations of Persons (APOs) for the Tax Year 2019 up to October 31, 2019. However, Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) has now requested the FBR to extend the last date for filing income tax returns till Dec 31 as the submission of around 1.6 million returns cannot be done till Oct 31.

In a letter sent to FBR chairman Syed Shabbar Zaidi, PTBA said till October 25 only 918,027 annual returns were filed, which was around 65 percent as compared to the returns filed in tax year 2018.

It said the draft return form for 2019 was uploaded on Aug 23 through SRO 951 and final return was uploading on IRIS on Sep 2, through SRO 979, which showed lapse of statutory period of two months and all burden shifts on FBR. The manual return of income form for 2019 was issued on Sep 27 through SRO 1160, so the small volume taxpayers could file their returns of income for 2019 within stipulated time.

Moreover, current political situation is also causing hardships in e-filing of returns 2019. Therefore, it is requested to extend the last date for filing income tax returns by Dec 31, 2019.