ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) here on Monday directed the federal government to resolve the advance tax issue on prepaid cellular phone cards, ARY News reported.
Hearing the case, the SC Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa directed the government to evolve a system through which poor customers were not bound to get a certificate for exemption from tax on mobile phone cards.
During the course of proceedings, the attorney general apprised the apex court,”Every customers will have to pay tax in advance on each pre-paid mobile card.”
He further said that a low income person, who was not bound to pay tax as per law, could avail the refund facility.
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The court asked,” Can a handcart pusher or poor vendar approach to the income tax commissioner?” Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that the state should be sincere with its citizens and added that it should not siphoned money from people’s pocket in this way.
The chief justice asked, “How many people demand for refund? It seems that the state considers every citizen taxable.”
The lawyer said that the apex court had suspended the tax deduction act and caused the loss of Rs90 billion.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan said, “The government provides relief to masses and on the other side put its hand in people’s pocket.”
The court adjourned the hearing of the case till April 24.
