LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) to exempt DJ Butt, who had previously arranged sound systems at PTI sit-ins, from tax payments till September 17.
DJ Butt, in his application to the LHC, claimed that he did not owe any taxes to the state but he was sent a notice anyway, obligating him to pay Rs17 million in taxes.
Justice Masood Abid, who presided over the hearing, ordered the Punjab Revenue Authority to refrain from demanding any tax from the disc jockey until September 17, after taking into account the stance of the defendant.
DJ Butt was served the tax notice in regards to revenue earned from event management services during the period of August 2014 to December 2014, when the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) held a protracted sit-in in the capital.
According to PRA, DJ Butt has not filed any income tax returns and neither is he registered with PRA. Records of PRA further show he earned Rs107 million during the six month period mentioned in the notice.
DJ Butt settles final payment of dues with PTI at Rs2.5 million
DJ Butt after a meeting with PTI officials last month, agreed to a full and final settlement of all unpaid dues at Rs2.5 million
Earlier in July, Butt had found himself in a row against his party - Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) - over non-payment of his services during its protracted sit-ins last year in the capital.
Butt claimed that the party still owed him Rs50 million even after Rs60 million were paid during the sit-in.
The party's celebrated DJ had threatened early in July to take legal action against the party over non-payment of his services. He also sought the involvement of chairman PTI, Imran Khan in the matter, in an email written to him.
This came as a surprise since it was reported last year that DJ Butt had refused to charge PTI for his sound engineering services.
After a meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Naeem ul Haq at the PTI Central Secretariat a day after his email to Imran Khan, the two parties agreed upon a formula for the payment of his services.
Muhammad Asif, popularly known as DJ Butt, has been a prominent feature at PTI rallies and major party events. But the disc jockey soared to fame for his music and stage lighting during the PTI's months-long sit-in in Islamabad last year.