As the September 30 deadline for income tax return submissions approaches, taxpayers across the country are facing significant challenges due to slow internet speeds and technical issues with the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) online portal, IRIS.

The pressure on the system has dramatically increased as the last date for filing approaches, causing the IRIS server to crash and leaving many unable to submit their tax returns on time. This has become a growing concern for the business community and individual taxpayers alike.

Iftikhar Sheikh, President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), expressed frustration over the situation.

FBR system

“The FBR’s online return submission portal is not functioning properly, and taxpayers are struggling to file their returns,” he said. Sheikh urged the FBR to increase the portal's capacity to ease the burden on taxpayers and avoid system failures in the future.

FBR system error

Sheikh further recommended that, given the current technical issues, the FBR should extend the deadline by one month. "If the deadline is not extended, many members of the business community will be unable to submit their returns by September 30," he warned.

The online tax filing system has long been touted as a convenient way to submit returns, but with frequent server breakdowns and the added strain of slow internet speeds, many are finding the process increasingly difficult. With only a few days remaining until the deadline, taxpayers are hoping for swift action to resolve these issues.