News
‘Frauds, irregularities have cost Customs more than Rs 58 bn in revenue’
The Customs Department has lost revenue amounting to more than Rs. 58 billion due to various frauds and irregularities, and Chairman of the Committee of the Ways and Means, MP Patali Champika Ranawaka has instructed the officials of Ministry of Finance and other institutions to take immediate steps to recover the losses.
It has been revealed that arecanut is imported from Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar for USD 750-900 per tonne, and big profits are made by re-exporting those consigenments as Sri Lankan arecanut to Pakistan and India. The re-exporters make use of concessions given to Sri Lankan exporters under free trade agreements. The fraudulent re-exporting causes a loss to local exporters. As such, around 100 such containers containing 1,493 tonnes of arecanut were detained by the Customs, the officials told the committee, sources said..
The Director General of Customs has informed the committee that an order was given to collect 100 percent fines for valuable goods such as gold brought into the country illegally. Already more than Rs. 290 million had been collected as fines from ten such people, parliament sources said.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development to recognize the “Sri Lanka National Export
Development Plan – 2026–2030” as the official strategic framework for export development and promotion of exports in Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka Export Development Board, in collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders connected to the export sector, has formulated the National Export Development Plan 2026–2030 by obtaining technical assistance under the Policy-Based Lending Programme of the Asian Development Bank.
The aforementioned Plan provides a comprehensive strategic framework to guide and monitor Sri Lanka’s export development process, with the target of earning US$ 36 billion in foreign exchange through the export of goods and services by the year 2030
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Women and Child Affairs to accept the Global Charter for Children’s Care Reform for Sri Lanka.
Approval has been granted by the Cabinet of Ministers on several earlier occasions to amend the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003.
In accordance with the approval granted at the Cabinet
meeting held on 2023-05-02, the Legal Draftsman is currently in the process of preparing the relevant amended Bill, and the Legal Draftsman has informed that it would be appropriate to obtain policy approval from the present Cabinet of Ministers for that purpose.
Accordingly, taking into consideration the necessity of restructuring the Consumer Affairs Authority too, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative
Development to instruct the Legal Draftsman to expeditiously complete the preparation of the relevant Bill to enable the amendment of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 9 of 2003.
Cabinet approves recognition of ‘Sri Lanka National Export Development Plan – 2026–2030’
Cabinet nod to accept the Global Charter for Children’s Care Reform for Sri Lanka
Cabinet grants policy approval to amend the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 9 of 2003
Cabinet approal for Legal Draftsman to prepare a Bill to enable the amendment of Finance Business Act, No. 42 of 2011
M.S. Mahadiulwewa appointed act in the post of Director General of Commerce
Wimal S.K. Liyanagama appointed Director General of Customs
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News7 days agoRooftop Solar at Crossroads as Sri Lanka Shifts to Distributed Energy Future
-
News2 days agoCJ urged to inquire into AKD’s remarks on May 25 court verdict
-
News6 days ago“Three-in-one blood pressure pill can significantly reduce risk of recurrent strokes”
-
News3 days agoUSD 3.7 bn H’tota refinery: China won’t launch project without bigger local market share
-
News6 days agoAlarm raised over plan to share Lanka’s biometric data with blacklisted Indian firm
-
News5 days agoTen corruption cases set for court in May, verdict ordered in one case – President
-
News4 days agoEaster Sunday Case: Ex-SIS Chief concealed intel, former Defence Secy tells court
-
News6 days agoUSD 2.5 mn fraud probe: Interdicted MoF official found dead at home