KARACHI:-A division bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Junaid Ghaffar on Thursday allowing an application for urgent hearing against suspension of license of M/S Trade Service fixed Nov 4 as next date of hearing.
Muhammad Zubair of trade Services filed a suit challenging suspension of license and blocking of on line ID of the plaintiff on account of nonpayment of dues worth rupees 3,383,330 as Customs duty, taxes etc.
The plaintiff matains that since his first day in the business, he has been paying all dues, amounts including expenditure, and owes nothing to the custom or government coffers. He maintains that a clearing agent cannot get a permission “Allow Loading” unless he pays all the government duties and taxes in advance and prior to the release of consignment. Enumerating all the steps and channels through which authority allows release of the consignment , the plaintiff stated that a clearing agent has to pay all levy in advance in the form of a pay order in favour of the bank concerned and thus question of nonpayment of local taxes do not arises.
The plaintiff also maintained that a lengthy and foolproof system has been devised to prevent the misuse of facility of Afghan transit trade.amd to check spilling over of Afghan transit trade in local markets. It was also aimed at preventing any misuse of facility by un scrupulous elements. The license of the plaintiff was blocked on 23Oct 2012 causing hardship to the plaintiff company.
The blockade was under a letter issued by the Model Custom Collectorate Appraisement titled “Blockade/Suspension of Clearing Agent License involved in Afghan Transit Scam” and plaintiff was asked to pay a duty and other dues amounting to rupees 3, 383,330.