News
Sugar tax scam takes shocking turn: Parliament directive to recover Rs 16 bn disregarded
FM now claims loss of revenue not reported, contradicts AG’s findings
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The ongoing controversy over the failure on the part of the Finance Ministry and the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to recover taxes from companies implicated in a massive sugar tax scam in 2020 has taken a shocking turn, with the Department of Trade and Investment Policy declaring that loss of revenue hadn’t taken place.
D. M. A. Dassanayake, Information Officer of the department that comes under the purview of the Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ministry, said so in response to a query submitted to the Ministry in terms of the Right to Information Act (RTI) No 12 of 2016.
The Finance Ministry emphasised that contrary to claims, the issuance of Gazette 2197/12, dated Oct. 13,2020 whereby Special Commodity Levy (SCL) on sugar imports had been reduced to 25 cents from Rs 50 (per kg) didn’t cause any loss of revenue.
The Island received the Finance Ministry response on February 08, 2024 for a set of questions submitted on Dec 18, 2023. The questions were based on the proceedings of the Public Finance Commission on Dec 16 chaired by Dr. Harsha De Silva, economist and member of the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)
During the Dec 16 proceedings, Dr. De Silva questioned the failure on the part of the Finance Ministry and the IRD to recover the losses as ascertained by the Auditor General by way of a forensic audit conducted into the Oct 2020 sugar scam. The House committee flayed the two institutions for turning a blind eye to several major sugar importers making a killing at the expense of the consumers. The Auditor General has named those who benefited from the SCL reduction.
MPs Chandima Weerakkody, Madura Vithanage, Duminda Dissanayake and Sumith Udukumbura attended the meeting.
Declaring that the government lost tax revenue, amounting to over Rs 16 bn, the AG had recommended criminal investigation into the sugar scam perpetrated during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure as the Finance Minister. At the time of the issuance of the controversial Gazette in Oct 2020, S.R. Attygalle served as the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance. The forensic audit revealed that the government suffered a loss of Rs. 16.763 bn within four months (Oct 14, 2020 to Feb 08, 2021).
The House committee has pointed out that in spite of the SCL on sugar imports being reduced by a staggering 99.5%, the relevant authorities hadn’t done anything to prevent importers from exploiting the consumers. The IRD has been asked on January 16, 2024 to submit a report in respect of recoveries to be made from sugar importers.
Responding to another query, Information Officer Dassanayake said that the Finance Ministry had been summoned before the Public Finance Commission twice.Asked what were the difficulties in recovering revenue losses caused by the sugar tax scam, the RTI officer said that the question didn’t arise as losses hadn’t been estimated.
Asked whether another sugar tax scam perpetrated in November last year in the wake of the change of government consequent to Aragalaya was under investigation, the RTI officer declared that investigations conducted by the CID and the CIABOC (Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption) so far didn’t reveal fraud. The Island pointed out that Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara is on record as having alleged a massive tax scam occurred in November last year.
The Island also asked whether President Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, instructed the Finance Ministry regarding the recouping losses. The RTI official said that the question is irrelevant as loss of revenue hadn’t been estimated or reported.
The Public Finance Commission has also paid attention to the reversal of the Special Commodity Levy in November in respect of sugar imports. The House committee questioned the rationale in the Finance Ministry seeking to collect as much as Rs 30 bn from consumers by way of tax reversal while allowing those who had been implicated in massive fraud to go unpunished.
The Finance Ministry disregarded questions submitted in terms of the RTI regarding the IMF stand in respect of the need to streamline revenue collection and whether the Ministry consulted the Attorney General as regards ways and means to address such corrupt practices.
Sri Lankan singer Latha Walpola has passed away today (27) at the age of 92.
Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has alleged that the current government is attempting to suppress freedom of expression and media freedom to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.
In a video message on Thursday (25), Premadasa said that in a democratic country, the four main pillars safeguarding democracy are the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and the independent media, but, at present, the government is using the police to violate both the democratic rights of the people and the rights of police officers themselves.
He said that the government is working to establish a police state that deprives citizens of their right to access truthful information.
“For democracy to be protected, media freedom must be safeguarded, and space must be given to independent media. Instead, the government is interfering with the independent media process, using the police to suppress and intimidate independent media,” he said.
He noted that even when independent media present their views based on reason, facts, and evidence, the government attempts to suppress them. Such actions, he said, amount to turning a democratic country into a police state. “Do not suppress the voice of the silent majority, the independent media,” he urged.
Premadasa emphasised that independent media represent the voice of the silent majority in the country and must not be suppressed.
“Media repression is a step towards authoritarian rule, and the people did not give their mandate to create an authoritarian regime or a police state. If the government attempts to abolish democratic rights, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya will stand as the opposition against it,” he said.
The Opposition Leader further alleged that the government was interfering with police independence, stating, “Political interference has undermined the independence of the police, making it impossible for them to serve impartially. Suppressing freedom of expression is an attempt to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.”
Premadasa pointed out that the media has the right to reveal the truth, and interfering with that right is a violation of the rights of 22 million citizens.
Vegetable prices at the Peliyagoda Manning Wholesale Market surged to unusually high levels yesterday (26), raising concerns among consumers as the festive season drives up demand. The situation is expected to persist over the next few days, a spokesman for the Manning Market told The Island.
He said a sharp increase in the number of buyers visiting the wholesale market, ahead of upcoming festivities, had resulted in a sudden spike in demand, prompting wholesale traders to raise prices significantly. The price hikes have affected a wide range of commonly consumed vegetables, placing additional pressure on household budgets.
According to market sources, the wholesale price of beans climbed to Rs. 1,100 per kilogram, while capsicum soared to Rs. 2,000 per kilogram. Green chillies were selling at around Rs. 1,600 per kilogram. Prices of other vegetables, including beetroot, brinjal (eggplant), tomatoes, bitter gourd, snake gourd and knolkhol, also recorded unusually high increases.
The spokesman alleged that despite the steep rise in prices, vegetable farmers have not benefited from the increases. Instead, he claimed that a group of traders, who effectively control operations at the wholesale market, are arbitrarily inflating prices to maximise profits.
He warned that if the relevant authorities fail to intervene promptly to curb these practices, vegetable prices could escalate further during the peak festive period. Such a trend, he said, would disproportionately benefit a small group of middlemen while leaving consumers to bear the brunt of higher food costs.
By Kamal Bogoda ✍️
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