FULL-TIME teachers working under the Sindh Education and Literacy Department are facing an unjust tax burden while filing their return of income for tax year 2026 through the online tax platform of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Under Clause (2), Part III of the Second Schedule to the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, eligible full-time teachers and researchers were entitled to a meaningful reduction in tax payable. The provision was subsequently restored through Clause (3A), Part III of the Second Schedule, for the period ending June 30, 2025. It means the said clause was not applicable after June 30, 2025. However, the office of the provincial accountant-general continued applying the reduction in teachers’ salary tax calculations during 2025-26 fiscal and disbursed their salaries accordingly.

Now, the online FBR platform is treating the 25pc reduced tax deduction by the government as ‘admitted tax’, imposing substantial and unexpected liabilities on teachers who are already financially overburdened. The government, the FBR and the provincial administration must urgently provide an appropriate legal and technical solution, easing the burden faced by the large community of law-abiding teachers.

Javed Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026