KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed a constitutional petition filed by M/s S.Q Corporation against the impugned demand notice for recovery of disputed amount issued by the Deputy Commissioner Inland Revenue E & C Regional Tax Office Karachi.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Munib Akhtar, heard the petition. During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner submitted that petitioner does not wish to further the proceeding in this petition therefore court dismiss the petition as not pressed.
Earlier, counsel for the petitioner had stated in its constitutional petition that petitioner is engaged in the business of ship-breaking and imports of unserviceable vessels and their sale as scrap in the open market but does not pay all liabilities regularly.
He further added that however the Deputy Commissioner Inland Revenue E & C, Regional Tax Office Karachi, issued notice dated 23/01/2016 to banks of the petitioner for collection of this disputed sales tax along with default surcharge and penalty amounting to Rs16million.
Citing to Chief Commissioner, Inland Revenue, Corporate Regional Tax Office, the Commissioner Inland Revenue Zone-II, Corporate Regional Tax Office, and Deputy Commissioner Inland Revenue E & C Regional Tax Office Karachi as respondents, petitioner pleaded with the court to kindly declare the act of the respondents illegal, mala fide and arbitrary.
Importer also pleaded with the court to kindly restrain the respondents from taking any coercive action against the petitioner and direct that they should de-attach the bank accounts of the petitioner immediately by withdrawing the notice under section 148 (1) (b) (a) of the Sales Tax Act-1990.