Public Finance Committee members urge Finance Ministry to see whether import tax reductions are passed on to consumers

The Finance Ministry should find out whether import tax reductions on commodities, such as rice, are actually are benefiting the public, as intended, the members of the Committee on Public Finance have said, according to a media release issued by the Communications Department of Parliament

The Committee on Public Finance, chaired by MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, approved the Resolution under the Customs Ordinance (Chapter 235), published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2262/14, dated 11.01.2022, and presented to Parliament on 05.04.2022.

Whilst taking into consideration the said Resolution, the Chair and Committee members were of the view that the Finance Ministry should proactively get involved to look into whether the tax reductions on commodities, such as rice, being imported, actually, benefit the public, as intended.

Furthermore, Orders under the Special Commodity Levy Act, No. 48 of 2007, published in the gazette Extraordinary Nos. 2255/8, 2259/9, 2260/72 and 2262/15, dated 23.11.2021, Parliament of Sri Lanka @ParliamentLK @slparliament Parliament of Sri Lanka 21.12.2021, 31.12.2021 and 11.01.2022, respectively, presented to Parliament on 05.04.2022 was also considered and approved by the Committee.

Accordingly, the report of the Committee was presented to Parliament by Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance MP Anura Priyadharshana Yapa on April 20, 2022. Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka, MPs M. A. Sumanthiran, Nalin Fernando and (Prof.) Ranjith Bandara also participated at this Committee meeting.