Taxpayers will soon be able to apply for a change of tax jurisdiction online, thanks to a new module being developed by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) following recommendations from the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO). The FTO initiated an own-motion investigation after receiving numerous complaints about the difficulties faced by taxpayers in changing tax jurisdictions. The existing manual application process is time-consuming and inconvenient due to the lack of an automated system.
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In over a hundred cases, the FTO had already ruled on this issue, and the decisions were upheld by the President of Pakistan. Although the FBR implemented recommendations in specific cases, a permanent solution for efficiently handling jurisdiction change applications had not been introduced—until now. According to FBR’s update, a test run for the new online module was conducted on September 23, 2024, signaling a solution is imminent.
The FTO pointed out that the delay in introducing the module constituted maladministration, as taxpayers faced undue hardships. The FBR is currently working on the necessary changes to the system, with the relevant authorities involved in addressing the issue.
