SC bars mobile companies from imposing additional taxes

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ordered all mobile companies to remove additional taxes imposed on postpaid and prepaid connections. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar heard the case pertaining to additional taxes of the mobile companies. During the hearing, Advocate General Ahmad Awais informed the court that the Punjab government was incurring a loss of Rs2 billion per month due to the additional charges. The Sindh advocate general informed the bench that the provincial government was also incurring a loss of Rs1 billion per month. “The provinces should curb the corruptions from their projects, when the corruption will be removed then it will be overviewed about to impose additional taxes on the mobile users or not,” the CJ remarked. The federal and provincial governments requested the court to grant some time to submit their responses. The CJ remarked that the court will hear the case later and adjourned the hearing on additional taxes on mobile phone cards and easy loads for indefinite period of time.