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Pakistan has reached a major tax milestone as income tax return filings surged to 5.9 million by October 31, 2025. The figure marks a 17.6% increase compared to the 5 million returns filed during the same period last year.
Prime Minister has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) not to grant any blanket extension for filing returns. However, taxpayers facing genuine hardships can still apply individually through the IRIS system to their respective field formations.
Strong Growth in Tax Payments
Out of the total filings, 3.6 million taxpayers submitted returns with tax payments, showing an 18.6% rise from last year.
Individual taxpayers also contributed significantly more this year, paying Rs. 69 billion compared to Rs. 60 billion in 2024. This marks a 15% increase in individual tax payments, or nearly Rs. 9 billion more than last year.
The FBR appreciated the growing cooperation of citizens and reaffirmed its commitment to making Pakistan’s tax system fair, transparent, and inclusive.
It pledged to continue supporting honest taxpayers through simplified processes, digital tools, and responsive communication.
Extensive Awareness Campaign
The increase in filings stems from a robust outreach campaign jointly executed by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Information, and the FBR.
Through nationwide robocalls and WhatsApp messages, the campaign reminded citizens of their civic duty to file returns.
FBR also sent 800,000 behaviorally informed messages to taxpayers using third-party data. These included congratulatory notes, informational messages, and final cautionary reminders. In addition, 70,000 targeted emails were sent, highlighting comparative income levels to encourage timely and accurate filing.
The figures reported reflect filings as of 7:00 p.m. on October 31.
