News
SLMA urges PM to hike taxes on tobacco and liquor
The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) yesterday wrote to Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Ranil Wickremesinghe, urging him to follow the guidelines of World Bank (WB) and World Health Organisation (WHO) when determining taxation on tobacco and alcohol.
Given below is the letter sent to the Prime Minister by the medical body: “The SLMA wishes to place on record its appreciation of the current efforts to mitigate the unprecedented economic crisis in the country. As you would agree, both tobacco and alcohol cause enormous social, health and economic harms to Sri Lanka. The UNDP and WHO estimated that tobacco caused an economic loss of Rs. 214 billion in 2016, while the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol, WHO and the SLMA conducted a study using a very conservative methodology that estimated economic losses from alcohol to be Rs. 120 billion in 2015.
“Taxation analyses undertaken by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol, as well as reputed research agencies, such as the Institute of Policy Studies and Verite Research, have shown the affordability of cigarettes (the number of cigarettes that can be purchased using per-capita GDP) has increased steadily over many years, while the percentage of tax derived from these products by the government has eroded due to unscientific and ad-hoc taxation policies.
“This is contrary to recommendations of agencies, such as the World Bank and WHO, that urge governments to regularly increase taxes to sustainably reduce the affordability of cigarettes which will increase government revenue and reduce consumption and thereby the harms to the population. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to increase taxes and an opportunity to increase government revenue.
“In this respect, we wish to propose the following to improve the government income and reduce the outflow of foreign currency, in relation to tobacco and alcohol.
“1. Increase taxation of tobacco products using a technically sound formula that will align the taxation to inflation and minimize their affordability. Technical recommendations in this regard have been made by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol, Institute of Policy Studies and Verite Research.
“2. Carry out an urgent review of current alcohol taxation policy and take steps to increase taxation in order to reduce its affordability as a means of increasing government revenue and decreasing its consumption and widespread harm.
“3. Consider both tobacco and alcohol products as the non-essential products, which they are. Therefore, steps need to be taken to:
“a. Discontinue all the duty-free concessions provided for sale of these products.
“b. Disallow imports of alcohol and tobacco products and products related to manufacture of such products. For example, ethanol, tobacco leaf, tendu leaf, chemicals, packing material and other products to limit outflows scarce foreign currency from the county.
“4. Remove tobacco and alcohol products that are in the basket of products that are used to track consumer price inflation to remove the effect of tax increases of these products on the inflation calculations.
“Public opinion polls have also repeatedly shown that such tax increases are the most popular tax increases. Currently, more than 90% of Sri Lankans do not smoke and more than 80% do not use alcohol regularly.
Both alcohol and tobacco industries will use their time-tested formula for preventing such measures – lobbying individuals and publishing flawed research claiming that increasing prices will increase tobacco smuggling and increase production of illicit alcohol. As you are aware, such arguments are made without basis or facts and are only intended to mislead policy makers. You would also agree that both tobacco smuggling and production of illicit alcohol are law enforcement issues, which cannot be prevented simply by competing in price.Therefore, we urge you to take on this issue as a priority national requirement that will help to mitigate the current and future negative impacts of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, which will also improve the quality of life of the people of this country.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
