F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Businessmen have demanded an extension in the income tax return filing date to facilitate those who have been late in paying duty due to constraints caused by the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19.
President Traders Alliance Federation, Executive Member Sarhad Chamber Peshawar, Ghulam Bilal Javid requested the government to extend the last date for filing income tax returns up to January 31, 2022 as many taxpayers are not able to file returns on time due to the pandemic.
“We request Prime Minister Imran Khan that the entire nation including taxpayers had been hit hard by the first second third wave of Covid-19 and now the fourth wave has gripped the masses, which is a serious threat to the life of everyone,” he said. Hence, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should be directed to extend the last date for filing income tax returns up to January 31, 2022, which will be widely appreciated by the business community.”
Provincial President Markezi Tanzeem e Tajran KP Malik Mehr Elahi and Ghulam Bilal in a joint statement urged the FBR to extend the last date for filing income tax returns up to January 31, 2022 to facilitate and accommodate the businessmen who had not been able to file the return due to Covid-19, delayed amendments and recent notification about simplified forms.
We appreciate the instructions given by the FBR to its commissioners to grant extensions to hardship cases who were unable to file returns on time, they added. “We nevertheless urge the FBR chairman not to leave the tax return filers at the mercy of commissioners and extend the date properly to save SMEs and big entrepreneurs.”
They stressed that it would be wise for the FBR to extend the date to January 31, 2022 in the interest of better collection as it would attract more returns because under the prevailing circumstances a good number of entrepreneurs had not been able to file their returns.
