DNA

RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) has urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the deadline for filing tax returns, citing persistent technical issues and slow performance of the FBR’s online IRIS system.

In a statement, RCCI President Usman Shaukat said the IRIS portal has been experiencing significant slowdowns due to heavy filing traffic, creating difficulties for taxpayers, tax practitioners, and businesses seeking to complete their returns before the September 30 deadline.

He said the portal was functioning very slowly, with taxpayers requiring considerable time to upload and submit their returns. The technical difficulties, he added, were further increasing the workload and causing unnecessary stress for taxpayers and practitioners during the final days of the filing period.

The RCCI President also pointed out that the closure of banks and other relevant institutions on Saturdays and Sundays has compounded the difficulties, particularly for taxpayers who require bank-related documents, certificates, or other services to complete their tax filings.

“System glitches and slow response times are continuously being reported by our members and traders. Taxpayers should not be penalized for technical problems beyond their control,” Usman Shaukat said.

He urged the FBR to take immediate steps to improve the performance of the IRIS portal and extend the tax return filing deadline to provide taxpayers sufficient time to complete their filings without facing technical hurdles.

The RCCI President recalled that the FBR has granted deadline extensions in the past under similar circumstances and expressed hope that the Board would take a facilitative approach in the larger interest of taxpayers and the business community.