'Inflated' tax notices to Shehbaz, late Kulsoom: FBR given last opportunity to furnish proof

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court provided last opportunity to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to furnish proof of notices, showing additional taxes levied on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and late Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, on Friday, heard an appeal of Commissioner Inland Revenue, Lahore against the Lahore High Court (LHC) judgment.

The LHC on the writ petition of Kulsoom and Shehbaz had passed a judgment against the FBR as the department failed to submit the proof of the notices for additional tax issued to the PML-N leaders.

The department; therefore, approached the apex court against the LHC verdict.

During the proceeding, the bench inquired from the FBR counsel, Mian Yusuf Umar, whether the respondents received the tax notices.

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The FBR counsel said that it was his client's stated position that the notices had been issued.

Upon that Justice Mansoor Ali Shah remarked that the question was whether both Shehbaz and Kulsoom had received the notices. "By merely saying that the notices had been issued, the bureau could not prove that they were received," the judge said.

Justice Bandial said the matter dated back to 1994-95, while the additional tax was levied in 2002.

He further said the FBR had not even given the date on which the tax notices were issued.

The Court, providing last opportunity to the FBR, asked the council to check its documents to ascertain when the notices were issued.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021