KARACHI: A divisional bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Abdul Mali Gaddi hearing 28 identical petitions against levy of Federal Excise Duty and Provincial tax on services simultaneously adjourned proceedings until Thursday.

The bench will hear arguments on constitutional aspects tomorrow besides putting the counsel for petitioners on notice that from March 22 these petitions will be heard on day-to-day basis.

The petitioners include  American President Lines (APL), MAERSK, Pakistan International Freight of Forward, Pakistan Ship Agents and others citing federal government, FBR, SRP and government of Sindh as respondents.

Today at the outset of the proceedings, an octogenarian lawyer started arguing the petition but was interrupted by the court with the observation that on a previous  hearing one of the counsel in these petitions argued about the constitutional issue involved.  The bench also observed that if the arguments by the senior lawyer are accepted it would mean that once a company is formed, came into being neither the provincial nor the federal government can impose any tax .

The bench later after preliminary hearing held that it will hear the arguments by the petitioners counsel on constitutional issues involved in respect of “Legislative Competence” of the federal as well as provincial authorities in the first instance.

The bench then put all the counsel on notice holding that from March 22, the petitions will be heard on daily basis as the issue is of importance for the litigants and there are a large number of petitions scattered here and there on the identical question of law.