The Lahore High Court (LHC) Thursday dismissed petitions filed against Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR’s) access to the database of commercial banks.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the petitions filed by commercial banks including Soneri Bank.
The petitioner banks submitted through their petitions that FBR had been allowed to access the database/accounts of commercial banks through the Finance Bill 2013. They contended that the step was a violation of the fundamental rights. They pleaded the court to set aside the step for being “illegal”.
FBR’s counsel Ilyas Khan opposed the petitions and contended that the step was not a violation of fundamental rights. He submitted that the income tax law was amended through Finance Bill 2013 and it was aimed at getting access to bank accounts to trace tax evasion.
The court after hearing arguments of both parties dismissed the petitions and allowed FBR to access the database of banks.
