Taxpayers Call for Video Link Centers to Facilitate Simple High Court Appeals
MULTAN: Businessmen have urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Yahya Afridi, to establish video link conference centers at all High Courts and circuit benches. The plea has been made by taxpayers, who are having a hard time under the new Tax Laws (Amendment) Act, 2024.
In a combined letter to the Chief Justice, President Anwar Kashif Mumtaz and General Secretary Mohammad Rehan Siddiqui pointed out the difficulties of taxpayers while navigating the new changes in the tax system. These new changes have resulted in making the High Courts the secondary level of appealing tax cases, hence increasing the complexity of the process for taxpayers.
According to the amendment, tax matters of lower levels are required to be appealed to the High Court directly:
Income tax cases of Rs 20 million or less
Sales tax cases of Rs 10 million or less
Federal excise duty (FED) cases of Rs 5 million or less
But cases above these levels have to first pass through the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (ATIR) before they come to the High Court.
The representatives of business drew attention to the fact that citizens who live far away from access to High Court circuit benches are confronted with substantial financial and organizational hurdles. They have to get to divisional headquarters for the case of law, which carries additional expenses and complicates access to their constitutional right to appeal. They take the view that this contradicts the constitutional provision for the basic right to appeal in Article 10A.
The letter also asked the Chief Justice to recall that the Supreme Court of Pakistan itself employs a system of video conferencing. The availability of this facility in High Courts would facilitate greater access to justice for taxpayers at less cost through reduced and minimal travel.
The business leaders have requested the Chief Justice to issue directions to establish video link facilities in all major High Courts and circuit benches. This would streamline the appellate process and make it more accessible.
Business stakeholders are of the view that this move will not only save taxpayers’ money but also make the judicial system more efficient, accelerating case proceedings.
