March 18, 2007	Sunday	Safar 28, 1428

ISLAMABAD, March 17: The Special Bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan has disposed of more than 85 per cent of the 1,400 tax cases and appeals that had been pending in the apex court for the last many years.

The bench was constituted by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in December 2005 on the request of chairman, Central Board of Revenue (CBR), M Abdullah Yousuf, for speedy disposal of cases.

Among the pending cases, one case, decided by the SC special bench, had been pending since 1976.

A tax official said the hearing of the remaining cases has started and these are expected to be disposed of in the current session.

According to the official, the cases decided by the Bench have a trickle-down effect as they have served as guiding principles for lower courts and tribunals and ultimately helped CBR liquidate its litigation pendency to a considerable extent.

The establishment of special bench for hearing of cases pending in apex court has provided relief to many taxpayers involved in the litigation with the tax department for the last many years.