ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday continued hearings on petitions challenging the super tax, as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) defended parliament's authority to impose the levy.

A five-member constitutional bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan heard arguments from FBR counsel Hafiz Ehsan Khokhar, who maintained that Section 14 of the Finance Act had not been changed, "only its purpose altered."

He argued that the case did not raise questions of legislative competence, adding that taxpayers who had failed to file returns were now "seeking benefits" through litigation.

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, however, pressed Khokhar on whether the National Assembly could pass a tax bill outside of the annual budget cycle. "Has the Constitution specifically granted Parliament this pow

See Full Page