Iris system glitches disrupt tax filings: SITE president

KARACHI: Ahmed Azeem Alvi, president of the SITE Association of Industry, on Saturday, expressed serious concerns over the challenges faced by users of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) online Iris system.

Alvi highlighted that taxpayers are encountering multiple issues within the Iris system, including changes to the HS Code regime, the non-acceptance of units of measurement, and difficulties in uploading annexures. These technical problems have prevented businesses from filing their monthly sales tax returns on time.

He emphasised that these issues are widespread, affecting all taxpayers. The sudden inclusion of the eight-digit HS Code, along with system-related errors, has disrupted the entire supply chain, making it impossible for businesses to initiate their return filings.

The SITE president called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan to take immediate notice of the situation. He urged them to issue directives for the swift resolution of these technical hurdles and requested an extension of at least two weeks for sales tax return submissions.