News
Kiriella alleges tax concessions granted to GR’s election funders
The main opposition SJB in Parliament on Friday said that Gotabaya Rajapaksa granting tax concessions to big companies that funded his election campaign was the first step that led the country towards bankruptcy.
Participating in the second reading stage debate on Budget 2023, Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said that tax concession to please the mega companies resulted in a loss of Rs 681 billion to the national economy.
“The road to ruining of the national economy commenced with the very first budget of Gotabaya Rajapaksa government. These company owners had met with Gotabaya Rajapaksa prior to his election at the Shangri La in Colombo, where they promised to provide money for his campaign. In return, Gotabaya pledged that tax concessions would be given once he becomes the President. Gotabaya gave the tax concession to please those who had helped him. One such company had given one billion rupees to his campaign kitty. Those who came up with the so-called Viyath Maga was behind this,” Kiriella said.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers has been granted at their meeting held on 19.05.2025 in order to introduce amendments to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017 including the proposed tax revisions to enhance the tax structure paving way for state financial integrity based on revenue.
Accordingly, the revised draft bill has been prepared by the legal draftsman and clearance of the Attorney General has been received.
Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for
the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Policy Planning and Economic Development to publish the aforementioned draft bill in the government gazette notification and subsequently, forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
The National Mineral Policy was prepared for the first time in the year 1999, and the aforementioned policy has been amended in 2023 to cover matters such as preparing an updated data system related to mineral resources, adding value to the export of minerals, encouraging mineral-related industrialists, extracting mineral resources and managing the environment sustainably, and resolving the issues related to the ownership of the land arising in extracting mineral resources.
The revised National Mineral Policy has been reupdated in line with the manifesto “A Sustainable Resource Utilization – Generation of the Highest Benefit” under the policy statement of the current government” A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life.”
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the Minister of Industries and
Entrepreneurship to implement the so-formulated “National Mineral Policy—2026.”
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