ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday declared professional tax levied by Cantonment Board Karachi unconstitutional, upholding the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) decision, ARY News reported.
A three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa disposed off the Cantonment Board’s plea challenging the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) order.
During the hearing, CJP Qazi Faez Isa noted that the professional taxes levied by the Cantonment Board Karachi were “unconstitutional and in contradiction with transparency”.
The chief justice also questioned the establishment of shopping malls on cantonment land. “The land given to the cantonment board was provided to the military for a specific purpose,” he said, adding that it was not meant for commercial purposes.
He pointed out that institutions were being brought to their constitutional purpose, hoping that other institutions will do the same.
The three-member Supreme Court bench also disposed off the plea challenging the receipt of taxes from restaurants, banks and poultry farms by the board.
