ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has clarified that the text messages received by taxpayers this week advising them to file their income tax returns for Tax Year 2025 before the September 30 deadline were not issued on its instructions and were sent after the deadline had already passed.
According to the FBR, it follows a routine practice each year in September of requesting the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to disseminate reminder SMS messages to taxpayers ahead of the statutory filing deadline. In line with this practice, the FBR requested PTA on 15 September 2025 to ensure timely delivery of the reminders, all of which were sent before the September 30 deadline.
However, the revenue body confirmed that numerous taxpayers reported receiving fresh SMS alerts this week, creating confusion as the deadline had long expired.
Upon inquiry, the FBR confirmed that no new instructions were given to PTA or telecom operators after September 30. Initial findings suggest that the recent messages were transmitted by various telecom service providers due to a technical malfunction in their systems.
PTA has also informed FBR that these messages appear to have been sent inadvertently as a result of a technical glitch within the networks of telecom operators.
The FBR has taken notice of the matter and has requested PTA to engage with all concerned telecom companies to identify the issue and prevent similar incidents in the future.
The FBR reiterated its commitment to ensuring accurate and timely communication with taxpayers and emphasised that its facilitation offices remain available for any assistance taxpayers may require.
