ISLAMABAD: The Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) on Saturday announced that it will not be extending the September 30 deadline set out by the tax collecting authority for the submission of tax returns.
“Historically, a facility used to be given [to the masses] by extending the overall deadline. However, this time the decision has been made that the date [for submission of tax returns] will not be extended and September 30 will be the last date to file tax returns,” FBR spokesperson Bakhtiar Muhammad said while speaking to Geo News.
Traditionally the FBR, in recent years, has adopted the practice of extending the tax return submission deadline.
Last year, the authority pushed the date for the filing of tax returns to October 31.
However, it seems that the FBR intends to provide no leeway and intends to adopt a rather strict approach towards the issue amid the incumbent government’s strenuous efforts to expand the tax net and increase revenue generation in light of the multi-pronged economic challenges faced by the country.
In June, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led administration in its tax-heavy budget passed in June, set out an ambitious taxation plan to boost its prospects of securing a fresh bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — which it eventually did as the programme now awaits the approval of the Fund’s executive board.
Elaborating on the authority’s decision against extending the deadline, the spokesperson underscored that it was a legal requirement to submit the tax returns by September 30.
Acknowledging that some filers may find it difficult to submit their returns before the due date, such people can reach out to their respective tax commissioners and seek an individual extension as provisioned in the law.
They can secure an extension owing to their specific reasons, however, the deadline will not be pushed beyond September 30 for the entire country overall, he added.
When asked about this might leave thousands unable to submit their tax returns, the FBR spokesperson said that this was what the authority warned the masses before the deadline expires.
Noting that there were still nine days left to submit the returns, the official said: “There is a three-month period [for people] to file their tax returns from July 1 till September 30. If they wanted to submit their returns, they would have done so during this time”.
