NBR extends tax return filing deadline to March 31

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has extended the deadline for individual taxpayers to file their income tax returns by another month, setting March 31 as the new cut-off date.

The tax administration issued a notification in this regard today, marking the fourth extension of the deadline.

Earlier, the NBR had pushed the submission date to February 28, following a previous extension to January 31. The original deadline for filing returns was November 30.

In addition, the tax administration has extended the deadline for submitting paper-based income tax returns to March 15, from the earlier cut-off date of February 28.

According to the tax authority, the latest extension has been granted in the public interest.

The revenue authority is considering a year-round return submission system divided into three categories, said a top official. 

Under the proposal, early filers would get incentives, on-time filers would pay the regular rate, and late filers would face graded penalties.

This year, online filing was made mandatory for almost all individual taxpayers, whereas earlier it applied only to specific groups such as government employees in certain city corporations, and employees of scheduled banks, telecom operators and large private companies.