LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has restrained the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) from taking coercive measures against Ramzan Sugar Mills, owned by the sons of Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, till a decision of its application against a show cause notice for an audit inspection for 2015.

In his decision, Justice Jawad Hassan observed that as no adverse order has been passed against the mills and the impugned notice only required certain information/document from it and alternate remedies were available to the petitioner/mills.

The judge observed that the petitioner could only approach the court in a tax reference after exhausting all those remedies. He noted that the petitioner was directed in the impugned notice to provide the requisite documents/record to the FBR.

The judge directed the board to decide the application of the mills as stipulated in section 122(4) of the Income Tax Ordinance within one month from the date of receipt of certified copy of the LHC order.

“Under the doctrine of stopgap arrangement, till then, no coercive measures shall be taken against the petitioner,” Justice Hassan said in his order and disposed of the petition by the mills.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2021