A Unified Sales Tax Portal Launched for the Telecommunications Sector

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has launched a new initiative for the telecom sector, introducing a unified sales tax return system. This system is set to be used for the first time for the tax period starting in January 2024, with filings due in February 2024. The implementation is available through the Single Sales Tax Portal, a significant step towards achieving the government’s goals of enhancing taxpayer convenience, promoting business efficiency, and reducing the burden of compliance.

From January 2024 onwards, telecom companies are required to adopt this new Single Sales Tax Portal for their sales tax filings. This move marks the discontinuation of the previous method of sales tax return submissions. The FBR’s introduction of this portal signifies a significant shift in the process, aimed at consolidating tax filing procedures.

The FBR has made provisions for the uploading of sales tax invoices corresponding to January 2024, thereby facilitating the process of filing through this centralized portal. This initiative reflects the FBR’s dedication to streamlining tax processes, reducing the likelihood of errors, and providing a singular, unified platform for all necessary tax-related information and submissions.

The portal, which is accessible at www.iris.fbr.gov.pk, is designed to allow telecom sector businesses registered for sales tax to file their returns in a consolidated manner. This eliminates the need for submitting separate returns to both the FBR and various Provincial Sales Tax Authorities, thereby simplifying the process significantly.

This new system is initially being implemented in the telecom sector, with major companies like M/S CMPak Limited, M/S Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited, M/S Pak Telecom Mobile Limited, M/S Telenor Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited, and M/S Pakistan Telecommunication Company being among the first to use it. The single sales tax return, applicable for the tax period beginning in January 2024, is a notable development for these companies, with their first filing under this system scheduled for February 2024.

To ensure a seamless transition to this new system, the FBR is actively guiding entities in the telecom sector to get acquainted with the new portal. They have highlighted that the feature for uploading sales tax invoices for the January 2024 period is already operational, indicating readiness for the upcoming tax filing process.