Oil prices: Hearing of plea against sales tax put off

LAHORE:

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday adjourned until January 29 the hearing of a petition challenging five per cent additional sales tax on petroleum products.

The judge had earlier sought a reply from the federal government.

On Thursday, a deputy attorney general told the court parliament had already empowered the government to change prices of petroleum products.

The government could impose the tax under the Sales Tax Act, he said. He said the court could not interfere in the matter that he said was a policy issue.

All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran secretary general Naeem Mir had filed the petition submitting that raising tax after reducing petroleum prices was an injustice to people. He said prices of petroleum prices had gone down worldwide but the government was not passing on the benefit to the citizens.

He requested the court to direct the federal government to withdraw the tax.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2015.