LAHORE: The Lahore Tax Bar Association (LTBA) has formally written to the Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), highlighting several critical technical and procedural issues with the IRIS portal that are causing significant delays and frustration among taxpayers and tax practitioners in filing income tax returns for the tax year 2025.
The letter, penned by LTBA President Muhammad Asif Rana and General Secretary Mian Asad Hanif, brings to light a range of issues, including non-adjustment of tax withheld under Section 235 in the case of Associations of Persons (AOPs), inconsistent treatment of tax withheld under Sections 148 and 154, and errors in the final computation tab.
According to the letter, the IRIS system fails to correctly allocate tax withheld under Section 235, resulting in misleading liability despite correct adjustments being reflected. Furthermore, taxpayers are encountering errors during final submission, with the system prompting incorrect demands and preventing successful submission without providing specific guidance.
The LTBA has also pointed out technical and operational deficiencies in the IRIS portal, including system downtime, performance issues, unexpected session expiry, and email code verification failures for new registrants. These issues are severely affecting system usability and hindering taxpayers’ ability to meet their filing obligations within the prescribed time limits.
The association has urged the FBR to urgently address the technical issues, resolve systemic inconsistencies, provide clear guidance, and consider extending the return filing deadline if these issues persist. Additionally, the LTBA has requested the establishment of a dedicated technical support desk to promptly resolve user complaints and system-related errors.
The letter highlights that the current issues have rendered 49 days of the statutory period ineffective, and many taxpayers are still unable to complete their returns. The LTBA believes that addressing these issues will restore confidence in the digital tax filing infrastructure and facilitate compliance from the broader taxpayer community.
Copyright media, 2025
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