2023-12-12
The Committee on Ways and Means of the Parliament directed the officials of Excise Department to suspend the liquor production license of the liquor manufacturing company that has not paid the due tax installment on 04.12.2023 according to the installment plan to pay the arrears of excise duty.
Furthermore, the committee asked why the relevant report was not provided by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) as per the order made by the committee on 24.07.2023 to provide a list of tax payers whose taxes are 100 million rupees or more in arrears as of June 30, 2023. The related report was requested from the IRD in two sessions of the committee meetings, but so far it has not been received, the committee chair said. The IRD officials stated that they have sought the opinion of the Attorney General in that regard and the committee ordered the officials to provide the list to the committee before December 31 2023.
The Committee expressed its displeasure regarding not providing reports related to some of the recommendations given in relation to the Inland Revenue Department, asking for time, and not implementing the recommendations.
This was discussed when the Committee on Ways and Means met recently (06) under the chairmanship of Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka.
The government had banned the import of wheat flour for companies other than Prima and Serendib, the main wheat importing companies, and during the ban, these two companies had accumulated large stocks of flour, and the committee emphasized that these companies have made a considerable profit by imposing a tax of Rs. 16/- per kg on wheat flour after the ban was lifted.
Furthermore, it was also discussed that by increasing the special commodity tax for sugar from 25 cents to 50 rupees, the relevant companies have earned a considerable amount of unfair profit by releasing nearly 8500 tons of sugar that had been imported and stored in the market. Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017, the committee again directed to take immediate steps to collect the prescribed tax related to the improper profit thus earned from the relevant parties in the above 3 cases.
In order to recover the arrears of the taxpayers who are evading taxes, the committee advised to prepare a tax collection plan to recover the amount of 173 billion rupees in collectable taxes. The Chairman of the Committee recommended that the Ministry of Finance and the Inland Revenue Department should prepare this together and implement it before December 31.
Among the 39 recommendations made to the Excise Department, the committee questioned why the recommendation of the committee to increase the license renewal fee to a minimum of 10 million rupees has not been implemented so far. Also, the committee questioned the fact that although the committee had ordered to provide the committee with a list of individuals and companies in possession of more than one liquor license in one district, that order had not been implemented. The officials of the Excise Department stated that according to the data system of the Excise Department, it shows that there are no individuals and companies in possession of more than one liquor license in a district, and the Committee directed the Excise Department to inform the Committee in writing.
Furthermore, the Excise Department stated that there are currently 46 toddy production plants and a mobile app has been introduced as per the order made by the committee to prepare a system to monitor the 46 production plants on a daily basis and to calculate their daily production. The committee chair instructed the officers to present the mobile app to the committee.
Emphasizing the need to add artificial intelligence (AI) to scanners in the customs technical system, the chairman of the committee advised the officials to prepare a proposal for this under a public private joint project model under the guidance of IT consultants with the Ministry of Finance.
A follow-up on Disaster Management, Welfare Benefit Scheme and Social Services Department's survey involving urban beggars was also discussed in the Committee on Ways and Means.
Officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense, Inland Revenue Department, Excise Department, Sri Lanka Customs, Welfare Benefits Board were summoned for this committee. Members of Parliament Hon. Ashok Abeysinghe, Hon. Sanjeeva Edirimanna, Hon. Ishaq Rahman and Hon. Sudath Manjula were also present.
2026-09-08
The Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative stated that steps will be taken to present to Parliament the views and proposals put forward during the “Voice to Policy” dialogue series organized for youth, with the aim of promoting the concept of an Open Parliament.They made these remarks while participating in the “Voice to Policy” programme held last Saturday (Sep. 05) at the Golden Crown Hotel in Kandy for youth in the Kandy District. The Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative, Hon. Minister Prof. Krishantha Abeyasena and Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, participated in the programme.The first programme of the “Voice to Policy” dialogue series was held in the Gampaha District, the second in the Batticaloa District, and the third in the Kandy District. Members of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament S.M. Marikkar, Attorney-at-Law Susanta Dodawatte, Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Lal Premanath, Major General (Retired) G.D. Sooriyabandara and M.K.M. Aslam, as well as Assistant Secretary-General of Parliament Mr. Hansa Abeyratne and others, participated in the programme held in Kandy.The young people who participated in the programme representing the Kandy District identified the challenges they face under five key themes: economic opportunities and employment; public administration and accountability; social inclusion and justice; political participation and representation; and other matters.They also proposed solutions to the identified issues and identified the relevant government institutions that could be held responsible for addressing them. The young participants subsequently presented the issues and proposals to members of the Caucus. Based on these proposals, an extensive dialogue was held between representatives of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative and the youth of the Kandy District.Members of the Caucus stated that their objective is to bring the views and proposals of youth to Parliament. They further assured that steps would be taken to submit to Parliament a report containing the views and proposals presented during the “Voice to Policy” programmes conducted to date, and to take the necessary measures to further engage young people with parliamentary processes and activities.The programme was sponsored by CII (Coalition for Inclusive Impact).
2026-09-07
The Select Committee of Parliament to conduct a comprehensive study on the lack of preparedness to face Cyclone Ditwah and report to Parliament and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard recently questioned senior officials of the Sri Lanka Police who were involved in responding to the disaster at the time.The questioning took place when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa.Accordingly, a group of Senior Superintendents of Police and Superintendents of Police from the districts affected by Cyclone Ditwah were summoned before the Committee.Former Member of Parliament Nimal Piyatissa was also summoned before the Committee. He was called to provide detailed information regarding comments he made to the media concerning the measures taken in response to the cyclone at the time it occurred.Members of Parliament serving on the Committee also participated in the meeting.
2026-09-07
The 13th meeting of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities was held recently at Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Chair of the Caucus.The meeting focused on the draft action plan of the Caucus prepared for the period from July 2026 to June 2027, and discussions were held on its implementation going forward.Prepared with the technical assistance of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the action plan has been developed under four key areas: parliamentary coordination and oversight; budget advocacy and accountability; legal and policy reforms; and accessible and inclusive public services. The meeting discussed future actions relating to each of these areas.IFES Sri Lanka Deputy Director Mr. Indraka Ubesekara, Senior Programme Officer Ms. Anojitha Sivaskaran, and National Council for Persons with Disabilities member Mr. Tikiri Kumara Jayawardena briefed the Caucus on the work carried out to date and the plans for the future.The importance of incorporating the views and needs of persons with disabilities into planning at the local level was also highlighted. Based on the experiences of district-level consultation programmes conducted in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Kalutara and Polonnaruwa, it was noted that a similar programme is scheduled to be held in the Hambantota District in the future.Discussions were also held on establishing an appropriate mechanism to ensure the active participation of the disability community in the preparation of local development plans through district-level accessibility audit committees and district coordinating committees. It was further pointed out that incorporating accessibility features from the initial stages of building and urban planning can help minimize the costly modifications that may otherwise be required at a later stage.The meeting was also informed that a report comprising 234 policy and practical proposals, prepared with the participation of nearly 60 organizations representing the disability community for the 2027 National Budget, has already been submitted to the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance and relevant government institutions. The Caucus decided to closely monitor how these proposals are implemented and whether they result in tangible benefits for persons with disabilities.Attention was also drawn to further strengthening the existing legal and policy framework to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities and ensure accessibility. It was decided to hold a special discussion with officials of the relevant ministries and the Legal Draftsman’s Department to inquire into the progress of the proposed “New Bill on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” and the “Sign Language Bill”, which are currently being drafted.The meeting also discussed the need to update existing legal provisions and standards relating to accessibility for persons with disabilities in line with international best practices. Proposals were put forward to introduce accessibility guidelines for private-sector institutions and gradually incorporate them into the legal framework, as well as to implement a pilot project with several selected private institutions.Special attention was also given to making public services more accessible and inclusive. The meeting discussed the findings of accessibility audits conducted at the Ministry of Labour’s “Mehewara Piyasa” building and Sethsiripaya Buildings Phases I and II. It was also noted that steps have been taken to ensure that the construction of Sethsiripaya Phase III is designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities from the outset.In addition, programmes such as low-floor bus services, accessible tourism for persons with disabilities, and the “Friendly Cities” programme were identified as models for improving accessibility within public services. Attention was also drawn to removing accessibility barriers faced by persons with disabilities when accessing healthcare services.Addressing the meeting at its conclusion, the Chair of the Caucus, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, stated that one of the Caucus’s primary objectives is to create an environment in which the disability community can lead free, independent and dignified lives without fear or uncertainty.The Chair further stated that Parliament would continue to fulfil its role in giving priority to the voices of persons with disabilities when making decisions concerning them, and in ensuring their participation in every sector of society. He also expressed his appreciation to all Members of Parliament, IFES and other stakeholders who have contributed to this work.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament, including (Dr.) Nihal Abeysinghe, Attorney-at-Law Susantha Dodawatte, Padmasiri Bandara, (Dr.) Elayathamby Srinath, Attorney-at-Law Bhagya Sri Herath and Chandima Hettiarachchi, among others.
2026-09-03
The Committee on Ways and Means of Parliament recently reviewed the operations of Sri Lanka Customs, including its revenue performance. The matter was considered when the Committee met recently under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Wijesiri Basnayake.Officials, including the Director General of Customs, informed the Committee that the expected Customs revenue as of June 30, 2026, was Rs. 1,060,559 million, while actual revenue collected by that date amounted to Rs. 1,379,084 million. This represented 130% achievement against the expected revenue target. Officials further informed the Committee that Customs had generated revenue exceeding the monthly targets in every month of the year to date, and that, compared with 2025, higher revenue performance had been recorded in each month.Providing information on vehicle imports in 2026, officials stated that 316,000 vehicles had been imported as of June 30, 2026, generating Rs. 512,547 million in tax revenue. According to the information presented to the Committee, the highest amount of tax revenue, Rs. 386,726 million, had been generated through the importation of motor vehicles.Furthermore, among the categories of commodities generating the highest Customs revenue, petrol motor cars less than 1,000cc ranked first, generating Rs. 137.4 billion. This represented 9.96% of total revenue.The Committee also focused on matters including the volume of imported containers and the procedures followed for their inspection, the introduction of modern technology to improve the efficiency of Sri Lanka Customs operations, challenges in revenue administration, and future plans.Several Members of the Committee on Ways and Means, together with officials representing the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and Sri Lanka Customs, participated in the Committee meeting.
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