LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday provisionally restrained the Punjab Revenue Department from recovering tax on agriculture income of the farmers.

Iqbal Ahmad and other farmers filed petitions against the department saying they had been paying agriculture tax to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

They said despite regular payment of the tax to FBR, the revenue department had been issuing them notices for the recovery of agriculture tax.

The petitioners said the notices issued by the revenue department amounted to double taxing that was illegal. They said the department was not authorised for the collection of the tax on agriculture income. They asked the court to set aside the notices issued by the department for the recovery of tax being illegal and without lawful jurisdiction.

Justice Ayesha A. Malik issued a stay order against the recovery of the impugned tax and sought replies from the Punjab government and other respondents by Feb 3.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2016