FBR makes registration mandatory for taxpayers paying Rs 500,000

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday declared taxpayers paying Rs half million or 500000 mandatory linking to the tax body, media reported.

The FBR has issued a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) for taxpayers paying Rs half million or Rs five lakh to the body.

On the other hand, it also directed that the withholding agents on the sales of 0.5 million or 500000 will be registered mandatorily in the FBR.

Earlier, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had clarified that the determination of taxpayers’ active status for 2025 will be based on the income tax returns filed for the tax year 2024.

In a statement issued on Monday, the FBR rejected reports claiming that a large number of taxpayers had been declared inactive, calling such reports “baseless and misleading.”

According to the FBR spokesperson, taxpayers who filed extension requests within the prescribed time have already been included in the Active Taxpayers List (ATL).

The spokesperson further stated that the ATL for 2025 will comprise all individuals and entities who submitted their 2024 tax returns. Newly registered filers who submit their returns by November 15 will also be included in the 2025 list.

The FBR confirmed that taxpayers who applied for filing extensions have been granted an additional 15 days to file their returns.

The tax authority also announced that, following recent amendments to income tax rules, manual submission of returns has been permanently discontinued, and all returns must now be filed electronically.

Taxpayers who submitted manual returns last year are being provided a one-month transition period to switch to the e-filing system, the FBR said.

Those who have not yet filed their returns can still apply for an extension through the online system by November 15, it added. –Agencies