KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Atif Ikram Sheikh has formally urged the government to extend the deadline for filing income tax returns to Oct 31 to facilitate trade, industry, and other tax filers.

He said this extension is not a concession but a practical necessity to ensure maximum tax compliance, broaden the tax base, and alleviate the immense pressure currently faced by the business community, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and individual taxpayers.

In a statement on Monday, he said that as the Sept 30 deadline approaches, taxpayers and tax practitioners face severe systemic bottlenecks.

The FBR’s Inland Revenue Information System (Iris) portal has been experiencing frequent slowdowns and glitches due to heavy national traffic.

These technical disruptions are preventing thousands of willing taxpayers from submitting their returns and wealth statements accurately and on time, he added.

A one-month extension will provide a much-needed breathing space for taxpayers to reconcile their accounts, navigate the recent complexities introduced in the tax code, and file their returns without the fear of system crashes, he said.

The recent complex amendments in tax laws and reporting requirements have created widespread confusion, meaning taxpayers require additional time to thoroughly understand these technicalities to avoid unintended errors in their wealth reconciliations, Atif said.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026