Price controls removed

By Saman Indrajith

There are no goods in the market at the government stipulated prices, says the Samagi Jana Balavegaya.

Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament yesterday that the government had announced maximum retail prices through gazettes but nowhere in the market were goods available at those prices.

“There is a gazette stating the controlled price of sugar at Rs. 88 a kilo but in the market it is Rs. 99 a kilo. This is true of other essential items. There is no place where 27 commodities are sold at the government-stipulated prices.”

Minister Bandula Gunawardane: There is no such gazette. We have withdrawn it.”

MP Kiriella: “When did you withdraw the gazette?”

Minister Gunawardane: We withdrew it today.

Minister Gunawardane said that the gazette on controlled prices had been withdrawn after announcing that the government would maintain fixed prices as regards 27 essential commodities for three months starting Feb 8, subject to foreign exchange rates and any taxes that may be imposed on certain imported goods. As per that directive,  prices of red raw, white raw, white nadu, samba, and kiri samba rice, wheat flour, white sugar, brown sugar, green tea, red dhal-Australian, big onion-Indian, potato-native, potato-Pakistani, chickpea, dried chili, canned fish local and imported, sprats, chicken, salt, milk powder, soybean oil, laundry soap, laundry bar soap, fragrance soap, hand wash liquid, mouthwash will be kept stable for the next three months.

The Minister said that when the sugar price increased in the world market, four gazettes had been issued by the President to remove taxes on four essential items including sugar, but nowhere were those items sold at the revised prices except at Sathosa outlets. Therefore, we withdrew the price control gazette today and introduced the new mechanism.”