Govt mulls extending tax return deadline

The government is considering extending the deadline for tax return submissions by one month, following a low response rate from taxpayers despite two previous deadline extensions.

Officials said that as online submissions have been made mandatory this year, many taxpayers are seeking additional time to familiarise themselves with the new system and avoid errors in their filings.

Currently, the deadline for individual taxpayers to submit their returns is January 31.

Talking to The FE, Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Abdur Rahman Khan said the NBR received several applications from tax lawyers urging an extension of the deadline.

"We will wait until the end of this month to decide on the extension," he said.

A senior tax official said that an extension is likely, as many taxpayers have requested more time to file their returns.

Despite the two previous extensions, a significant number of registered taxpayers have yet to submit their online returns.

According to NBR data, around 4.7 million individuals have registered to file tax returns this year. Of them, 3.4 million taxpayers have already completed their submissions.

This leaves about 1.3 million taxpayers still needing to file within the remaining six days of the current month.

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