Punjab: Property tax on person other than owner: LHC seeks comments from govt

[Naveed Yaseen]

LAHORE: Justice Umar Ata Bandial of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought comments from the Excise and Taxation director general (DG) and other respondents until September 29, on a petition challenging Section 5-A of the Punjab Immovable Property Tax Act, 1958.

The judge also directed the Punjab government law officer to seek opinion from the respondents whether property tax could be levied on a person other than the owner. The Punjab government, through the excise secretary, the excise and taxation DG and the excise and taxation officer, has been made respondent in the petition. The petitioners, Fareeduddin Nasir and five others, submitted they were given the possession of shops Nos 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8, in Sarjit Building, Lakshmi Chowk, under Compensation and Rehabilitation of Displaced Person Act, 1958, in an Evacuee Trust case at the Settlement Department. The petitioners’ counsel, Muhammad Azhar Siddique, submitted the petitioners were sent notices of property tax worth Rs 4 million, after which their shops were sealed.

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