02 January 2004	Friday	09 Ziqa'ad 1424

PESHAWAR, Jan 1: About 1,300 teachers belonging to the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas have challenged the deduction of income tax from their salaries. The teachers have filed a writ petition in the high court , praying that the levy of income tax in Pata may be declared unconstitutional and against the law.

Abdullah Khan, Fazal Aziz and other petitioners, belonging to Swat, have contended that the Income Tax Ordinance, 1979, had not been extended to Pata, therefore that tax could not be deducted from their salaries.

They said that two months ago the Income Tax Officer, Mardan Circle 2, had directed the district Swat accounts officer to deduct income tax from salaries of teachers.

The teachers claimed that under Section 497 of the Constitution the provincial governor had to issue a separate notification with the approval of the president for extending a law to Pata. The Income Tax Ordinance, 1979, was yet to be extended to Pata, they pointed out.