KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been informed that e-intermediaries are not able to use sub-user accounts under the new software for filing income tax return for tax year 2014.
In a letter sent to Tariq Bajwa, Chairman, FBR, the Karachi Tax Bar Association (KTBA) said that FBR has designed and developed the Income Tax Return Forms for the Tax Year 2014 through a new system known as “IRIS” wholly owned by the FBR.
While preparing the Return Forms uploaded on the website the e-intermediaries who are the member of this bar are facing serious problems and everyone is complaining that preparing and filing the Returns for Tax Year 2014 is a very difficult task and in this regard the high ups of the FBR have continuously been updated through sending letters / email and highlighting the issues in the press as well.
There is another serious problem with “IRIS” which restricts the use of sub-users accounts which is usually operated through a Master Account as used by every e-intermediary in terms of section 223 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.
It may kindly be noted that each firm of professionals who has a large number of clients and registered at the web portal as e-intermediary, therefore, they need multiple sub-users so that Income Tax Returns for the Tax Year 2014 could be filed on behalf of their clients without further loss of time.
FBR chairman has been informed that preparation of Income Tax Returns is a clerical job and anyone of a partner level or senior level professional cannot perform this job as his time highly precious which needs to be spent on more important tasks and assignments. The partners and seniors need to delegate return preparation authority to staff working under their control as they cannot allow access to the master ID, Password and Pin Code as this might allow them to submit returns without proper verification and inspection by the seniors.
Before the advent of IRIS, the staff of our members enjoying the status of a e-intermediary used to access the web portal through their respective sub-user / child account never faced any issue with regard to e-filing of the Returns. Now, “IRIS” is not allowing them to use their sub-user / child accounts and instead requires login via Master Account.
The following message pops up when an attempt is made to login via the sub-user / child account:-
“Login through sub-user is not allowed. Please login through Master user.”
It may be appreciated that login via the Master Account ID by all sub-users creates a number of security / administrative issues for the principal e-intermediary such as:-
a) The staff logging in via the Master Account will have the right to delete clients from the eintermediary clients’ data base available at the web portal.
b) Such staff will have the right to create further sub-user accounts at the web portal.
c) There will be no control / track as to which staff has e-filed which client’s tax return / withholding tax statement and other documents such as PSID etc.
The bar requested that the issue is very important and is affecting every e-intermediary who has staff for the preparation and filing the Income Tax Returns and other statements and challans etc.
This issue has also serious percussion such as security administrative problems for the principal e-intermediary and, therefore, it is requested that sub-user accounts should be provided in the best interest for filing the Income Tax Returns for the Tax Year 2014 without any further loss of time.
E-intermediaries unable to use sub-user accounts under IRIS: KTBA informs FBR
