News
Lanka sees food grain smuggling amid high ‘thosai-vadai’ border tax
ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka has confiscated a stock of 17 tonnes of undu grain (ulundu or vigna mungo) hidden in a container of chickpeas imported from India, a statement from Customs said.
The stock was worth 31 million Sri Lanka rupees and the government stood to lose 5.1 million rupees in taxes.A levy of 5.1 million rupees for a 17 metric tonne consignment of undu indicates border taxes of about 300 rupees a kilogram.
Ulundu is the key ingredient of thosai and vadai, popular foods in the country.Chickpeas are however taxed at 5 rupees a kilo according to rates listed on the Customs website.
High border taxes lead to smuggling and corruption.Economists have increasingly started to point out that Sri Lanka is no longer an ‘open economy,’ amid high and suddenly changed border taxes.
Sri Lanka has high and regressive border taxes and licensing on foods due to economic nationalism, despite stunting and malnutrition of children.
Economic nationalism in the form of import substitution and rent seeking by big business is indirectly by an inflationist central bank which prints money to cut rates in the hope of boosting growth (now called targeting potential output) triggering forex shortages, critics say.
As a result, economic policies in the post-independent period have been centred around ‘saving foreign exchange’. Sri Lanka had over 3000 imported banned after the more extreme deployment of macro-economic policy to target potential output in its post-independent history with both rate and tax cuts.
The Chartered Computer Institute of Sri Lanka was established in 1976 as the premier and sole body representing professionals in the Information and Communication Technology sector in Sri Lanka. It has recognized the importance of establishing the Sri Lanka Chartered Computer Association as the main professional organization to act on behalf of the interests of professionals representing the computer sector in Sri Lanka, which should be treated equally with other professional organizations that have obtained chartered status and other formal recognition.
Accordingly, taking into account a resolution furnished by the Hon. President, the Cabinet of Ministers has decided to grant policy approval for the establishment of the Chartered Computer Institute of Sri Lanka and to instruct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill in line with the proposed objectives.
it has become essential to introduce appropriate revisions to the Drug Dependent Persons (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act No 54 of 2007 so that a proper formal mechanism can be maintained in treatment and rehabilitation.
Accordingly, considering a resolution forwarded by the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to grant the policy approval to revise the Drug Dependent Persons (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act No 54 of 2007 and direct the Legal Draftsman to formulate a draft bill including the relevant amendments.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to appoint Mrs. O. T. M. I. Thilakarathne, the senior most officer in Sri Lanka Surveyors’ Service serving as an Additional Surveyor General of that Department to the Post of Surveyor General that will be vacant from 20.08.2026.
Charted Computer Institute of Sri Lanka to be established
Drug Dependent Persons (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act No 54 of 2007 to be amendmend
Mrs. O. T. M. I. Thilakarathne appointed to the Post of Surveyor General
Purchase of 600 buses for intercity / long distance services of the Sri Lanka Transport Board
Protection of Historical, Cultural, and Traditional Intellectual Property related to the Kandy Esala Perahera
Development of roads which are not under the Road Development Authority
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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