–Addl AG requests court for tax exemption on local DTH boxes
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday was informed that Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) is going to launch locally manufactured Direct to Home (DTH) boxes as it heard a case pertaining to smuggling of Indian DTH boxes in Pakistan.
During the hearing, the additional attorney general requested the court for a tax exemption on DTH boxes launched by the media regulatory authority. In response, Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that tax exemptions come under the mandate of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and added that local DTH boxes should be introduced at affordable prices.
The court also instructed that recommendations of the committee, comprising the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Customs and PEMRA, regarding the smuggling of Indian (DTH) boxes should be sent to the relevant authorities.
The committee also recommended a tax exemption on locally made DTH boxes, the court stated.
The hearing was adjourned for three weeks.
During the last hearing, the top court had ordered authorities to confiscate smuggled DTH boxes.
The additional attorney general had informed the court that FIA and PEMRA had conducted raids and registered FIRs against 13 people, while 39 have been arrested.
