Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has changed the income tax return form for Tax Year 2026, just weeks before the deadline for filing returns.
The changes were introduced through a notification, SRO 1495(I)/2026, issued on Thursday.
The FBR has amended the Income Tax Rules, 2002, by adding new provisions to the rules covering income tax returns.
The changes will affect the way taxpayers file their income tax returns for Tax Year 2026.
The statutory deadline for filing returns is 30 September 2026.
Tax experts have raised concerns about the timing of the changes. They say taxpayers and tax advisers are already preparing their returns and that changes introduced so close to the deadline could cause confusion and technical problems.
They have called on the FBR to clearly explain the new requirements and how they will be implemented.
Experts say clear guidance is needed to ensure taxpayers can complete and submit their returns before the 30 September deadline.
FBR vows to boost tax collection, meets set target
FBR has met its tax collection target for the first two months of the financial year, although the pace of growth remains well below the rate needed to achieve the government’s annual target.
Preliminary figures show that the FBR collected Rs1.722 trillion in taxes during July and August, around Rs12bn more than the two-month target of Rs1.71 trillion.
However, tax collections increased by only about Rs55bn, or 3.3%, compared with the same period last year.
Under targets agreed between the Pakistani government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the FBR is required to collect Rs15.263 trillion in taxes during the current financial year.
Achieving that target would require tax revenues to grow by around 17.4% compared with the previous year.
Analysts say the current pace of growth may not be sufficient to meet the annual target, meaning the FBR will need to significantly increase collections in the coming months.
Sources say stronger collections in July helped the FBR meet its combined target for the first two months.
In August, however, the tax authority fell short of its monthly target.
The FBR had been set a target of around Rs930bn for August, but preliminary figures indicate that collections stood at approximately Rs900bn by the end of the month.
Tax officials say stronger-than-expected sales tax collections contributed to the overall performance during the first two months.
The FBR collected more than Rs685bn in income tax during July and August.
That was around Rs74bn below the target set for the period.
