SLPP ally demands restoration of price control

State Minister Jayantha Samaraweera on behalf of the National Freedom Front (NFF) yesterday (23) urged the government to re-introduce price control to ensure the importers pass on the duty concessions received from the government to consumers. The NFF is a constituent of the ruling SLPP.

Addressing the media at NFF office, Pita Kotte, the lawmaker cited how sugar importers, in spite of the reduction of Rs 50 a kilo duty on a kilo of imported sugar to 25 cents jacked up the prices. The government was helpless as price control on rice, sugar, flour, milk powder and other essentials had been done away with.

State Minister Samaraweera urged the government to recover ill-gotten money from unscrupulous importers and double Samurdhi benefits to genuine recipients.

According to him, the cash-strapped Treasury had lost billions of rupees as a result of tax concessions though the consumers didn’t receive any relief. Responding to another query, lawmaker Samaraweera said that the recently dissolved Finance Commission chaired by MP Anura Priyadarshana Yapa took up the sugar duty fraud. But, nothing happened in spite of the overwhelming evidence people were denied relief through massive concessions given to sugar importers (SF)