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Inland Revenue releases list of goods and services exempt from enhanced VAT
The Inland Revenue Department yesterday (21) issued the list of goods and services that would be exempted from the enhanced Value Added Tax (VAT) regime that comes into effect from 01 January 2024.
The list of items included Wheat and wheat flour; infant milk powder; Pharmaceutical Products and Drugs (other than cosmetics) whose end use are confined to therapeutic or prophylactic effect and purchased on a prescription of a physician and raw materials for the production or manufacture of such products or drugs; Ayurvedic Preparations that belong to the Ayurveda Pharmacopoeia or Ayurvedic Preparations (other than cosmetic preparations) or Unani, Siddha or Homeopathic Preparations (other than cosmetic preparations); Crude Petroleum Oil, Kerosene, Aviation Fuel, Oil for Ships or Fuel Oil; Artificial Limbs, Crutches, Wheel Chairs, Hearing Aids, Accessories for such aids or Appliances, White Canes for the blind, Braille Typewriters and Parts, Braille Writing Papers, Braille Writing Boards, etc.; Bio Fertilizer, Artemia Eggs and Peat Moss; Agricultural Seeds, Agricultural Plants, Shrimp Feed inclusive of Prawn Feed and Animal Feed but excluding Poultry Feed; Yarn used for textile industry; and Dyes used for the handloom industry.
Among the services exempted from VAT are: Educational Services provided by any person or partnership; Public passengers transport services (other than air transport, water transport or transport of tourists, excursion tours and taxi services); Electricity including distribution; Services in relation to burials and cremations; Services at a restaurant situated beyond the immigration counter at the
Bandaranaike International Air Port; Goods and services to the mission of any state or any organisation to which the provisions of the Diplomatic Privileges Act; Goods or services funded directly by foreign organisations for the relief of sudden distress caused by natural or human disasters or to any activity having regard to the interest of the national economy, as approved by the Minister; a number of Financial Services:
the operation of any current, deposit or savings account; the exchange of currency; the provision of any loan, advance or credit, etc.; the life insurance, Agrahara insurance and crop and livestock insurance; the transfer of non-performing loans of a licensed commercial bank by way of transfer of such loans to any other person in terms of a restructuring scheme or other scheme of such bank as approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka with the concurrence of the Minister; All healthcare services provided by medical institutions or professionally qualified persons providing such care other than hospital room charges; Locally Manufactured Handloom Textiles;
Rice, Rice Flour and Bread so far as such products are manufactured locally; Unprocessed Agricultural, Horticultural or fishing products produced in Sri Lanka; Locally manufactured Surgical Gauze used for surgery; Fabric which are subject to a cess at a specific rate; Services by the Department of Commerce, the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka or the Sri Lanka Ports Authority; Services by a person in Sri Lanka to any other person outside Sri Lanka to be consumed or utilised by such other person outside Sri Lanka for which the payment is made in Sri Lanka rupees; Geriatric Services and Child Care Services; Goods or services to any specified project identified by the Minister, taking into consideration the economic benefit to the country, on which the tax is borne by the Government; or (b) Goods and services to any infrastructure development project funded through foreign loans or donations directly to the Government Ministries, approved by the Minster on the recommendation of secretary of the respective Government Ministry; Goods or services by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Goods to be used as exhibition material or as material in any technical demonstration and which are re-exported after the completion of such project, exhibition or demonstration; Aircraft Engines or Aircraft Spare Parts identified under specified Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System Numbers for Custom purposes; Chemical Naphtha by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to be supplied to the Ceylon Electricity Board for the generation of electricity; and The import and supply of goods at Duty Free Shops for payment in foreign currency.
The Maldives Coast Guard Ship Huravee which arrived in Sri Lanka for replenishment purposes, departed the island on 04 Mar 26.
In accordance with naval tradition, the Sri Lanka Navy extended a customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo
A day after a US submarine sunk an Iranian Navy warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Sayed Abbas Araghchi, has warned that the US would “pay bitterly” for targeting a ship in international waters, The Tribune has reported.
Araghchi posted on social media platform X on Thursday saying, “The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores.”
The frigate IRIS Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning, said the Iran Foreign Minister, adding, “Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday confirmed that a US submarine fired a torpedo and sank the Iranian Navy vessel IRIS Dena west of Sri Lanka.
In a way, the Iran and US-Israel conflict has reached close to the Indian coast. The strike today at sea was almost 4,000 kms away from Iran, significantly expanding the radius of war. Already, fearing Iranian missile strikes, several US warships have moved eastward towards India.
These ships are in international waters. India has denied that any US Navy assets were using Indian ports. The Iranian ship, hit on Wednesday, was returning after participating in the international fleet review and exercise Milan hosted by India at Visakhapatnam.
The Iranian ship went down with almost 130 sailors on board missing. The Sri Lankan Navy, acting on a distress call, rescued 32 of the Iranian sailors. Hegseth confirmed the act by the US forces, saying the ship was hit in the Indian Ocean, stating, “an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. .. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo”.
Hegseth did not name the Iranian ship that was attacked. But earlier, the Sri Lankan Navy reported the distress call from IRIS Dena when it was some 40 kms west of Galle, located on the south-western part of the island country. On February 16, the Iranian ship had sailed into the port of Visakhapatnam, where seventy-four nations participated.
Warships from Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and dozens of others were anchored alongside the now-sunk Iranian vessel. Iran’s Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, held talks with India’s Chief of Naval Staff on strengthening maritime security cooperation.
The theme was “United through Oceans.” Notably, the US Navy was supposed to send the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney to the exercise Milan; however, the ship was diverted to Singapore on February 15. The US did not field its warship in Milan, which had ships from Russia and Iran.
The exercise ended on February 25. Three days later, on February 28, the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury. The IRIS Dena was transiting home. This morning at 5:08 a.m. local time, the IRIS Dena issued a distress call. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Vijitha Herath, informed parliament that two navy vessels and an aircraft were deployed. Thirty crew members were rescued and admitted to Karapitiya Hospital in Galle.
The Straits Times reported 32 critically wounded survivors. Reuters reported 101 missing and 78 wounded. The Sri Lankan Navy spokesman said the operation was conducted in line with the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has warned of a possible risk of power cuts due to the use of inferior quality coal affecting generation capacity at the Lakvijaya Power Plant, according to a recent commission report.
The commission said the risk to the continuous electricity supply was assessed based on the peak demand forecast submitted by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for 2026.
According to the report, the analysis assumed that hydropower plants could contribute up to 1,300 MW to meet the night peak demand, while the Lakvijaya Power Plant (LVPS) would be able to contribute only up to 690 MW due to a capacity shortfall, assuming a 40 MW generation capacity reduction from each unit.
The PUCSL said the assessment was carried out taking into account the planned maintenance schedule submitted by the CEB. Under the schedule, Unit 1 of the Lakvijaya plant is due to undergo maintenance checks and repairs in June for a period of 25 days, while Unit 2 is scheduled for maintenance in July for another 25 days.
The report also noted that the 270 MW West Coast Power Plant is scheduled to undergo maintenance in April for 10 days, while the 150 MW Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Power Plant (KCCP 2) is expected to undergo maintenance during May, June and July.
Under normal conditions, the report said, there is a potential risk of a generation capacity shortage if electricity demand reaches 3,030 MW in April, 3,070 MW in June and 3,000 MW in July.
The highest recorded night peak demand so far in 2026 was 2,949 MW on February 25.
The PUCSL further warned that if one coal unit or any major power plant becomes unavailable from the existing generation mix, there would be a significant risk of a generation capacity shortage to meet the night peak demand, particularly during April, June and July.
Energy sector analysts said the use of substandard coal could further aggravate operational challenges at the Norochcholai plant, potentially affecting generation efficiency and reliability if corrective measures are not taken promptly.
By Ifham Nizam
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