LAHORE: An applic
ation was moved before the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday challenging the levy of 17 percent sales tax on petroleum prod
ucts.
The applicant has requested the court to declare illegal the notific
ation of changing petroleum prices after every fifteen days.
The applic
ation was moved on behalf of the Pakistan Justice Party in its pending p
etition challenging the recent increase in pr
ices of petroleum prod
ucts.
Earlier in the main case, counsel for p
etitioner Muhammad Azhar Siddique had submitted that the increase pr
ices of petroleum products was amounted to burden the people without
any justification. He had alleged that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) with the connivance of Finance Ministry, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Prime Minister’s Office was continuously exploiting public financially.
He had said that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was defrauding the nation, “as the petroleum prices across the world are on a decreasing trend and this fact should be passed on to the general public.
He had requested the court to strike down levy of 17 percent sales tax on petroleum products, and also the change of petroleum prices fortnightly instead of monthly basis.