KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is set to conduct a closure of their portal across the country. The closure of FBR Portal is scheduled to start from 12:30 AM on August 8 until 5:00 PM on August 10.

The FBR has confirmed that IRIS will not be operational during the whole period when FBR’s portal is down. SWEEPS and POS registration system along with IRIS will not be operational. Invoicing and other similar online systems related to FBR will also remain unavailable during the same period. All those taxpayers who want to use any functionality of FBR’s portal during this period will not be able to do so.

Taxpayers have been encouraged by the revenue authority to undertake all necessary tasks regarding filing of taxes, making payments, and other tasks as soon as possible before the FBR website gets shut down to prevent any inconvenience in the end. Businesses who are dependent on online invoicing and online registration must prepare themselves for the disruption because there will not be any alternative after August 8.

This decision by the FBR has come right after the launch of a relief package for small business people by the authority. Recently, the FBR has announced a simplified taxation process where the officers of the Inland Revenue cannot raid any registered business with a green plate. According to the proposed system, there is no way that the officers can enter such shops.

Green Plate Scheme Operation Process

Shopkeepers who are eligible under this new scheme can lodge their tax returns through the IRIS portal or the mobile app specifically designed for that purpose by using the simplified return form. According to the FBR, this simplified return form will also be provided in different regional languages like Urdu, which means that it would be easier for small-scale businesspeople who cannot understand English. This scheme charges one percent flat rate on the total turnover of the shop annually.

The green plate itself would have a QR code, the taxpayer's NTN number, the name of the shopkeeper, and the location of the business, which makes the process of verification very easy for the traders as well as for the tax authorities. 

ALSO READ: FBR Proposes 1% Turnover Tax for Small Shopkeepers

The scheme includes shopkeepers with an annual turnover of up to Rs200 million, but excludes the owners of more than one shop, Tier-1 traders, jewellers, and even professionals like doctors, engineers, and lawyers. According to the FBR, the scheme was purely optional, and those who wanted to stay out could keep filing under the old system of tax.

Now that the FBR portal shutdown is definite, companies and individuals have only limited time to clear their dues because the system will soon be shut down. Whether they belong to the Green Plate system or they use the traditional filing system, they should keep abreast of the news coming from the FBR until August 8.