BY Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial took notice of a report published in this paper which revealed that about Rs3.5 trillion of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) tax revenue claims were stuck in litigations.
CJP Bandial directed the FBR to submit a report on the veracity of the information mentioned in the news report and submit a report through the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) office within a week.
Last month, the report revealed the details of the pending litigation at different forums. The same data was shared in the meeting presided by Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah on February 22.
According to the data, around 80 per cent of FBR’s tax revenue claims were pending at internal forums of the tax collection body, such as the collector commissioners and appellate tribunals. The FBR data revealed that until January 25, a total of 90,426 tax cases were pending at different forums wherein Rs3,303,740 million revenue claims were involved.
Of the Rs3.5 trillion, Rs2,556 billion tax claims were pending at appellate tribunals and collector commissioners. A total of 58,937 matters were pending in appellate tribunals wherein Rs950 billion tax revenue was involved; 19,523 cases were pending in collector commissioners in which Rs1,606 billion tax revenue was claimed by the FBR.
Claims in superior courts
“Around Rs410 billion of tax revenue claims are stuck in superior courts.” A total of 2,959 cases were pending in the Supreme Court wherein Rs72.208 billion tax revenue was involved. Up to 1,298 FBR cases were pending in the IHC in which Rs232.66 billion tax claims were involved.
In the Sindh High Court (SHC), 2,238 cases were pending while Rs195.49 billion tax revenue was involved. Up to 1,298 FBR cases were pending in the IHC in which Rs232.66 billion tax claims were involved.
In the Sindh High Court (SHC), 2,238 cases were pending in which Rs195.49 billion tax revenue was involved.
Tax claims amounting to a total of Rs234.71 billion in 5,133 cases were pending in the Lahore High Court (LHC). In the Peshawar High Court (PHC), 317 cases were pending wherein Rs76.04 billion tax revenue was claimed by the FBR. In the Balochistan High Court (BHC), 21 FBR cases were pending wherein Rs4 billion tax revenue was claimed.
Regarding details of pending litigation customs cases, the government informed that a total of 17,642 cases were pending wherein Rs273.67 billion tax duty was claimed by the department.
In the apex court, 1,434 customs cases were pending wherein around Rs10 billion of the state exchequer was involved.
In the IHC, 147 cases of Rs.06 billion tax duty were pending. Some 5,441 cases were pending in the SHC wherein Rs105.98 billion revenue was involved.
In the LHC, 568 cases were pending wherein Rs7.7 billion of the state exchequer was involved, while in the PHC, 583 cases were pending wherein Rs1.3 billion tax claims were involved.
In the BHC, 110 cases were pending wherein Rs68 million tax duty was claimed by the FBR. In collector appeals, 718 cases were pending wherein Rs6.2 billion tax revenue was involved. In customs appellate tribunals, 4,640 cases were pending wherein Rs82 billion tax duty was involved.
