ISLAMABAD: Tax advisors and consultants have approached the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) against new FBR’s Password Policy, according to which, every taxpayer was directed to change password within 60 days’ period.
The matter was further complicated by implementing a new QR Scan system by FBR. Javed Iqbal Qazi, chairman Pakistan Tax Advisors Association informed FBR chairman that the FBR should frame a consistent policy with regards to operation of IRIS accounts of the tax payers as almost 90 per cent of income tax/sales tax returns are being prepared and filed by the taxpayers/registered persons through their tax advisers/practitioners, advocates, chartered accountants as well as cost and management accountants who are also registered persons with FBR.
A very few, say about 10 per cent of the returns are being filed by the employees of corporate taxpayers or by salaried person themselves.
Taxpayers’ passwords: FTO directs FBR to issue new policy of expiry
He said the IRIS system was working smoothly when FBR introduced a NEW Password Policy on 18.12.2024, according to which, every taxpayer was directed to change his/its password in every 60 days. The matter was further complicated by implementing a new QR Scan system by FBR for tax registered persons; according to this system every registered person has to scan QR Code every time when he has to login into IRIS for preparing or filing of income tax/sales tax returns.
As mentioned above more than 90 per cent of the income tax/sales tax returns are prepared and filed by the tax practitioners and every time when they have to login, firstly they will have to contact the taxpayers for every verification code and then they are able to login on IRIS. This whole process is very difficult and has affected adversely; as this process takes too much precious time of the tax practitioners as coordination with the taxpayer is a must before login.
Secondly, the IRIS system also breaks down or slows down and even logout the registered person and the legal tax practitioners has to again go through the same process to login. Every tax practitioner has many clients and it is impossible for him to contact each and every client just to get verification code to get access to IRIS system.
The Pakistan Tax Advisors Association chairman said “we tried to inquire the reasons behind these frequent changes in password policy and introduction of QR System and we were informed that this is due to issuance of fake and flying invoices and sales tax returns.” The basis reasoned by FBR has not been interrogated and FBR has not tried to identify or detect the persons responsible for such fraud by the information of which should be available within the IRIS system violators to task through process of inquiry and adjudication by Courts.
In foreign countries the culprits of offences in such like situation are caught in the shortest period and punished but Government of Pakistan/FBR has not initiated such process to catch the culprits who have disturbed the entire password system; but have changed the login process time and again; which may not be a permanent solution in this modern times of IT technology, Javed Iqbal Qazi stated. In view of above, proper and rapid action may be taken against those involved in fake and flying invoices and a permanent system be introduced for password saving so that the tax practitioners do not face hardships and arbitrary litigation from the tax functionaries who have failed to make the earlier system successful.
In this respect, FBR Member Operations and FBR Member IT be given this specific task to save the taxpayers from the frequent changes in the IRIS system, Javed Iqbal Qazi added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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