ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the deadline for big retailers to integrate their point of sales (POS) with its online system apparently due to ongoing lockdown in the country.

To facilitate traders, the last date was now extended further to April 30 as against the current deadline of March 31.

The first deadline for POS integration was December 15, 2019, which was given by the FBR to tier-1 retailers.

In the current scenario, the government has locked down all major shopping malls as preventive measures. In most of the markets across Pakistan, only shops selling groceries, fruits and vegetables have been allowed to keep shutters open for a limited time due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A circular issued here said that all the Tier-1 retailers will furnish in writing their willingness to integrate their POS to the respective regional tax officers (RTOs) and Large Taxpayers Units (LTUs) until April 20 to avail the extended time.

The Tier-1 retailers are those located at luxurious shopping malls, retail chains and stores having 1,000 square feet size.

Meanwhile, the FBR has also postponed the decision to extend the scope of POS to big medical stores and hospitals across the country.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2020