ISLAMABAD: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has urged the government and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to extend the deadline for filing income tax returns by one month, from September 30 to October 31, 2026.
FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said the extension would provide relief to taxpayers, improve compliance with tax laws and potentially help broaden the tax base.
He said the FBR’s IRIS system had been experiencing slowdowns, technical glitches and occasional outages due to heavy traffic, causing difficulties for taxpayers and tax professionals in filing their returns.
According to Sheikh, the business community was willing to contribute to the national exchequer, but recent changes in tax laws and additional information required in tax returns had also created challenges for taxpayers.
He said small and medium-sized businesses were already under pressure due to inflation and economic difficulties. In such circumstances, he added, many businesses could face problems in submitting their returns on time if the deadline was not extended.
The FPCCI president urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the FBR chairman to take immediate notice of the situation and extend the income tax return filing deadline by one month.
The FPCCI has proposed October 31, 2026, as the new deadline. However, no official extension has been announced so far. Income tax returns are currently filed online through the FBR’s IRIS system.
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