Shikarpur was once one of the great trading towns of the region, a place whose merchants financed caravans and kept accounts that stretched across Central Asia. Much of that past survives in the narrow covered bazaars, the old family firms and the habit of careful bookkeeping. It survives, too, in the way people here talk about money: precisely, and with a long memory. That habit is an advantage when it comes to filing a tax return, because the return is built from exactly the records that traditional traders already keep.
The return is filed online through IRIS, and NTNWaale prepares and submits it remotely over WhatsApp. If you have not yet registered, see NTN registration in Shikarpur.
Who in Shikarpur Has to File
Anyone registered with taxable income owes an annual return. Around Shikarpur that usually means:
- Cloth, grocery, spice and hardware wholesalers in the old bazaars
- Makers and sellers of the town's famous pickles, preserves and sweets
- Rice, wheat and pulse dealers and their commission agents
- Traditional lending and trading families whose business runs on advances
- Transporters and owners of trucks, loaders and rickshaws
- Landholders with a trade or a job beside crop income
- Doctors, teachers and government employees
The Old Bazaar Ledger as a Tax Record
Traditional firms in Shikarpur keep bound ledgers with a page for each customer and each supplier, a cash book and a stock register. That is very nearly a complete set of accounts. What the return needs from it is a few totals: what was sold, what was bought, what was spent on running the shop and what is left in stock on 30 June.
The task is largely one of adding columns and separating personal withdrawals from business costs. A family firm where three brothers each draw from the till should note, at least roughly, who took what, since the wealth statements of the brothers should show it. We do the arithmetic; you supply the ledgers, photographed page by page.
Pickle, Preserve and Sweet Makers
A small food producer's return is built from raw material, labour, fuel, packaging and transport on the cost side, and from sales to shops and individuals on the income side. Ingredients bought in bulk in one season may be used over many months, so the stock of materials and finished jars on 30 June needs a count. Where the family sells at a stall and to shops, the two kinds of sale should be recorded separately.
Producers who supply larger shops or companies may have tax deducted from payments, and the slip is a credit. Those who sell only for cash still need a daily sales note; an honest figure, supported by the quantity of material bought, is more defensible than a round number.
Rice and Grain Dealers
Rice and grain are the district's staples. A dealer buys from growers, stores, and sells to mills and traders, and his return shows purchases, storage and transport costs, sales and closing stock. Mills often deduct tax at source. Commission agents earn on each deal, and their commission is service income; where they also trade for themselves, the two streams should be recorded separately.
Advances, Credit and Money Owed to You
Traditional trading families often lend to growers, small traders and customers, sometimes over years. Money lent is not income, but interest received is. The balance owing to you on 30 June is an asset and belongs in the wealth statement. Keep a note of each loan: borrower, amount, date and any interest agreed. Where a debt has been written off, a note of the efforts made to recover it supports the treatment.
Trucks, Loaders and Rickshaw Owners
Transport carries the town's goods to Sukkur, Larkana and beyond. Owners report freight or hire income less fuel, driver pay, repairs and the interest on any vehicle loan. A trip log and a folder of receipts are enough. Rickshaw and loader owners with several vehicles should keep each one separate, so that a weak vehicle does not vanish into the total.
Doctors, Teachers and Salaried Staff
Salaried people begin with a salary certificate. Doctors with private clinics report fees separately and keep a register and a folder of costs. Teachers who tutor report that income beside the salary. Government employees should file even where tax is deducted at source, so that they appear on the Active Taxpayer List. Our filer benefits guide explains why that is worth having.
The Wealth Statement for a Trading Family
The statement lists what you own and owe on 30 June: shops, houses, land, vehicles, stock, cash, gold and money lent or borrowed. Family property often stands in several names, and it is worth deciding who owns each item before filing. Gold held as a family reserve should be listed by weight and value under the applicable rules. Our wealth statement guide explains how assets are listed.
The Deadline in Plain Terms
Twelve months to 30 June, then until 30 September to file, unless FBR grants extra time. If you pass the date, you drop out of the Active Taxpayer List, higher deductions apply to your bank and property dealings until you file, and a penalty may be added. Our deadline guide covers the position.
What to Put in the Envelope
Your CNIC and NTN; photographs of the ledger pages or a list of sales and purchases; deduction slips; a salary certificate if employed; twelve months of bank statements for each account; papers for any shop, land or vehicle bought or sold; a note of loans made and taken; and a rough list of what you own and owe on 30 June.
From Message to Filed Return
You send everything on WhatsApp; we prepare the return and wealth statement and send you a summary of what we plan to declare. On your approval we file through IRIS and pass on the acknowledgement. The fees are PKR 3,000 for a salaried return, PKR 4,500 for a trader or sole proprietor and PKR 7,500 for a partnership. See the pricing page for the fixed schedule.
Common Errors in Shikarpur Returns
- Mixing family withdrawals with business costs. Keep personal drawings separate.
- Leaving out interest earned. Interest on money lent is income.
- Ignoring stock. Unsold goods on 30 June have a value.
- Forgetting family property. List each item under the right owner.
- Waiting too long. Bank statements take days.
If the Family Never Filed
Some old trading families held an NTN for decades without ever sending a return. Do not assume it is too late. List the years that are missing and tell us roughly what the business earned in each; we prepare the returns worth filing, in the most sensible order, and move you back onto the Active Taxpayer List.
Shikarpuri Achar and Where the Money Goes
Pickle-making in the town is a family craft passed down through generations, and it supports many households beyond the makers themselves: fruit and vegetable suppliers, oil and spice dealers, glass-jar and packaging suppliers and the shops that sell the finished product. Each has a small business with its own records, and each files its own return. A family that both makes and sells should show the two activities together but with clear notes.
Sweetmeat Shops and Festival Peaks
Sweet shops in the town earn much of the year's income around Eid and weddings. Sales in those weeks are large and mostly in cash, and the closing stock of ghee, sugar and flour matters at year end. A daily sales sheet for the peak weeks, together with supplier bills for the same period, is the best support a shop can have.
Grain Godowns Near the Railway Line
Many traders keep grain in godowns near the station. Rent, guards, weighing charges and fumigation are the regular costs, and each needs a bill or a note. Stock counted on or near 30 June and valued at cost is the safest figure for the return. If part of the godown is let to others, that rent is income and belongs on the return.
Bank Statements and the Trader's Cash Habit
Traditional businesses are used to cash, and many deposit only a small share of their takings in the bank. That is not illegal, but it means the bank statement understates the business, and the ledger has to carry more of the weight. Where deposits are much smaller than declared sales, a note explaining how the rest was spent or held helps a reader to reconcile the two.
Read Our Summary Before We File
Before anything reaches FBR we send a one-page summary of income by source, costs, tax already withheld and assets. Set it beside your ledger. A correction at that stage is instant; afterwards it means a revised return.
Photographs of Old Ledgers
Lay each ledger page flat in daylight, with the date and every figure visible. Send the pages in order. Where handwriting is faded or in an older script, add a line saying what the columns mean, and we take it from there.
Cloth and Grocery Wholesalers in the Covered Bazaars
Wholesalers who supply shopkeepers in the town and the villages beyond it sell largely on credit, and their year-end position includes substantial receivables. A customer ledger showing dues, dates and payments is the record that supports them. Suppliers' statements show what the firm itself owes, and a stock count on or near 30 June gives the closing figure for the return.
Brothers Who Share a Firm
Family firms in the town are often run jointly by brothers or cousins under one name. If the profit is shared, a partnership return with each person's share stated is cleaner than putting it all under one man. The wealth statements of the partners should then show each share, and any drawings should be recorded, so that the firm's cash book agrees with what each partner declares.
Salaried Staff and Government Employees
Teachers, clerks, bank staff and government employees begin with a salary certificate. Side income such as rent or a share in a family shop goes beside the salary. Government employees should file even where tax is deducted at source, in order to appear on the Active Taxpayer List.
A Word on Handwriting and Language
Ledgers in the town are often written in Sindhi, Urdu or older mercantile scripts. That is no obstacle. Add a short note in Urdu or English saying what each column stands for, and we will transcribe the totals and check them against the bank statement.
Ask the Bank for Statements Early
Statements for the full year take days to arrive from branches, so request them at the start of September and send each as it comes. The return can be prepared while you wait.
File From Shikarpur
Send your CNIC, NTN and whatever papers you have to 0324-0400564 on WhatsApp. For a general walk-through, see how to file an income tax return in Pakistan.