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ISLAMABAD: The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court, hearing a set of challenges to the imposition of super tax, was informed on Tuesday that the cess was initially introduced as a one-time measure for a specific purpose in 2015 but continued to be enforced until 2022.

Senior counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan, representing a number of companies, argued that this prolonged implementation raised questions about its legitimacy.

A five-judge CB, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, had taken up a number of petitions filed by different taxpayers assailing the constitutional vires of the amended Section 4C of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 implemented for the tax year 2023.

The tax was initially imposed in 2015 under a money bill on wealthy individuals and companies, with the stated purpose of rehabilitating the areas affected during the Operation Zarb-i-Azb against terrorism.

The counsel argued that while the government estimated collecting approximately Rs80 billion........

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