KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been urged to either extend the deadline of filing of tax returns to Dec 15 or allow manual filing, as taxpayers are facing problems in e-filing due to technical glitches in the FBR’s web portal.

The government has already extended the returns date twice, and the new deadline is Nov 30.

However, Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) and Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) have asked the FBR to allow manual filing of tax returns to meet the deadline.

The two representative bodies of tax consultants in their respective communications with the FBR complained that they received no response even after holding several meetings with member Inland Revenue (Policy) and member Inland Revenue (Operations).

The taxpayers and tax consultants continue to face difficulties in filing of their

tax returns electronically because of malfunctioning of the FBR’s web portal where data fed with regard to return or wealth statement frequently disappears and it even suddenly logs out during the processing or feeding of data.

Tax bars from all over the country had been approaching the FBR and even lodged complaints with the highest authorities of the board, but to no avail. A very small number of taxpayers have been able to file their tax returns so far.

The KTBA and PTBA also discussed the matter with Pakistan Revenue Automation Ltd (PRAL) manager Mujahid Naeem during his visit to Karachi, but this also produced no result, they said.

PTBA President Munawwar Hussain Shaikh and KTBA General Secretary Zeeshan Merchant said that if the FBR was unwilling to further extend the date, it should immediately allow manual filing of tax returns for the tax year 2013.

However, specific directives should be given to FBR employees to facilitate taxpayers in order to get tax return and wealth statements in proper shape and with full information.

They further demanded that tax return form should be made simpler to facilitate taxpayers.

Both the leaders also reminded the FBR that delay in issuance of tax return forms annually causes a lot of hardship for taxpayers and also becomes main cause of extension for filing of tax returns.