IRIS portal: KCCI urges PM to take notice of technical failures

KARACHI: President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Muhammad Jawed Bilwani has strongly urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take immediate notice of the ongoing technical failures in the Federal Board of Revenue’s IRIS portal, which have severely disrupted tax compliance and are causing grave difficulties for businesses across Pakistan.

In a formal letter addressed to the prime minister, KCCI president highlighted that thousands of tax-compliant businesses are unable to file their sales tax returns due to serious flaws in the IRIS system. Most notably, the portal has arbitrarily restricted the Unit of Measurement (UOM) to only “Kilograms,” which is wholly impractical for many industries that rely on alternative units such as number of pieces (pcs), litres, or metres.

“This kind of technical oversight reflects a shocking lack of understanding of the diverse nature of our industries, including bulk manufacturers, pharmaceutical, and shoe manufacturers, etc,” stated Bilwani.

“It is technically incompetent and administratively unjustifiable. The consequence is that businesses are being penalized through no fault of their own.”

Despite assurances from the FBR that the issue was being addressed following its acknowledgment on March 20, 2025, no meaningful improvement has been witnessed. “The matter remains unresolved, and businesses are facing severe consequences simply for attempting to comply with a flawed system,” he added.

The president KCCI also expressed deep disappointment over the indifferent attitude of senior FBR officials. He recounted a recent visit to the FBR Head Office in Islamabad, where he arrived punctually at 9 am to meet with the Member (Sales Tax) — only to be kept waiting for an hour with no response, as the official failed to appear in his office. During the visit, the Chief Sales Tax Officer, Dr Ali Adnan Zaidi, admitted that FBR had been receiving similar complaints from other stakeholders but confirmed that no remedial action had been taken so far.

Bilwani lamented the KCCI has made repeated attempts to engage the chairman FBR, Member (Sales Tax), and other senior officials through letters and phone calls, yet has received no response.

“This persistent neglect underscores a larger institutional apathy not just toward KCCI but toward the entire business community that has been struggling under these systemic failures,” he said.

Warning of broader consequences, Bilwani stated that the ongoing technical failures and bureaucratic inaction are eroding business confidence, discouraging documentation, and worsening the trust deficit between taxpayers and the government.

“Pakistan’s economy cannot afford such inefficiencies, especially when ease of doing business and restoring trust in institutions should be national priorities,” he emphasised.

The president KCCI called for the immediate resolution of the technical glitches in the IRIS portal, accountability of responsible FBR officials, and implementation of stakeholder-informed reforms to prevent such issues in the future. He also urged the establishment of a professional and responsive mechanism for engagement between FBR and the business community.

“The future of our economy depends on the government’s ability to listen, respond, and act. We hope the PM will intervene to ensure this issue is resolved without further delay,” Bilwani concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025