Pakistan tax return filings jump 17% to 5.9m, says FBR

Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) reported a sharp increase in tax compliance for Tax Year 2025, saying 5.9 million returns have been filed as of October 31 - up 17.6% from the same point last year.

The authority said 3.6 million filers submitted returns with payments, an 18.6% rise, while individual income tax paid climbed nearly Rs9 billion year-on-year to Rs69 billion. Officials credited a government-wide outreach drive led by the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Information and the FBR for the improvement.

The campaign used robocalls and WhatsApp nudges reminding citizens to file, behaviorally informed messages sent to some 800,000 taxpayers, and targeted emails to about 70,000 people that flagged peer income benchmarks. The FBR noted the figures were compiled at 7pm local time and could rise further before the midnight deadline.

Islamabad has ruled out a blanket extension for late filers. However, taxpayers facing genuine hardship may seek relief through the IRIS system, the FBR added.