LAHORE, June 5: The Lahore High Court will decide on June 10 a plea by the Punjab government for vacation of stay granted by it to the petitioners who have challenged their property tax assessment.

The plea was made by Advocate-General Maqbool Ilahi Malik, saying that the stay orders were causing an irreversible loss at a time when the government was preparing its annual budget.

About 70 petitioners who challenged the new assessment formula for being biased, like its predecessor, on capital rather than rental value of the properties concerned.

Justice Jawad S. Khwaja, who is hearing the petitions, suspended recovery notices of the impugned levy when the provincial government failed to put in appearance on two successive dates. The main petitions would also come up for hearing on June 10. — Staff Reporter