KARACHI: The hearing of a constitution petition pertaining to the deposition of Workers Welfare Fund was adjourned here on Friday until Monday next by a division bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) comprising Chief Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro.
Malik Ghee and Cooking Oils (Private) Limited, Faisalabad filed the petition questioning a number of notices and demands made by the Income Tax Department under the head of Workers Welfare Participation Fund worth millions of rupees.
The counsel for Petitioner Company maintained that they have deposited amount against two notices and filed appeals against two other notices/demands by the Income Tax department. The petitioner counsel prayed to the court that as they have deposited the money into the Fund and other matters are pending decision by Commissioner Appeals of IT department hence the bank accounts frozen be ordered to be defreezed as petitioner company is facing hardships in imports.
The counsel for the Income tax department on a query by the court said that payment of participation fund was not made with the department and instead petitioner chosen to deposit the same directly into the fund. This is the difficulty and department cannot make any confirmation of the payments, he said opposing the plea for defreezing of the accounts.
The bench after a detailed hearing asked both the sides to come up with consolidated figures of amount due and amount deposited by Monday, Nov 02 when petitioner would be heard and decided.