News
Sumanthiran says regular tax amnesties only encourage more people to evade
Provisions of the Finance Bill would be detrimental to the country, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told Parliament yesterday, calling on the government not to pass the Bill.
Participating in the debate on the Finance Bill, the TNA MP said, “For the first time in the history of this country, we have tax amnesty being declared through a legislation titled Finance Act. Previously, those Bills said were quite open, they were called Tax Amnesty Bill, or Inland Revenue amendments, but here some important issues as to what the objective of this Act, I say is being covered up by the title of the Act which is Finance Act”, he said.
MP Sumanthiran observed that the amnesty that was being granted was not the first time, not the second time, not the third time, from the 1960s several times amnesties had been granted.
“This matter was discussed at length in the public finance committee of Parliament, and all senior officials, I am sure many of them are here in the box today, repeatedly said that they concede that you must not do it from time to time, amnesties must never be given from time to time. It must be a one off, and that’s it. Because once the country gets used to, the fact that after a few years another opportunity will arise for amnesty that encourages people to make money and not declare it. You might bring them into the tax net. That’s a second justification that is made for tax amnesty, but the primary problem that we have in this country is that we don’t have a proper mechanism to collect our revenue, now that is conceded by everybody, so without fixing that problem, there is no point.
“I will get on to the two important issues, one is that, in section 7 of this Act, there is secrecy, now this is what we pointed out in court as well, where it said absolute secrecy and later official secrecy, fortunately in the Supreme Court the Attorney General said they will change the wording to absolute secrecy to official secrecy but nevertheless the concern remains. Once you have this provision then how that person came by that money, came by that taxable supply can never be gone into and although the speaker from the government ranks, who preceded me, said that terrorist financing, money laundering all of that is exempt from this, yes, it says it is exempt from this, but money earned through those processes can be brought in and you cannot go after that person on that account, and all you have to do is under section 5 is deposit in an account. You can take it out the next day, the justification is that the money is coming into circulation, but it doesn’t prescribe a minimum period for which the money must remain or invest in a property. You can invest in a property and sell it the next day. So this is not a desirable provision that is being made, the tax commission report of 2009 has recommended to the government not to do this, that this doesn’t bring in the desired results, the Chairman of the Commission is the present Governor of the Central bank, so I say, urge the Minister to abandon this process that is called a tax amnesty, country will lose, according to revenue officers’ trade union who have publicly said, which has not been counted that 300 billion loss will be incurred by the country as a result of this act and no government official has still counted that.”
As part of the official visit to London for the 43rd Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors Meeting 2026, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, held discussions with academic experts from the British Council on Wednesday [20 May 2026].
The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in education, particularly in the areas of teacher training, English language programmes, education frameworks, and language acquisition skills.
The British Council shared international experience and highlighted its ongoing engagement in Sri Lanka, while expressing readiness to support the country through technical assistance, teacher development initiatives, and policy collaboration.
Discussions also included views on improving quality assurance, expanding research collaboration, and enhancing learning opportunities.
The Prime Minister appreciated the British Council’s continued engagement in Sri Lanka and reiterated the importance of deepening partnerships.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division’
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, who is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom, met with members of the Sri Lankan community living in London on Wednesday [20th] and engaged in cordial discussions.
Despite the event being held on a weekday, it was notable that nearly one thousand Sri Lankans representing the Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim communities attended with great enthusiasm.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that despite natural disasters and international crises, the present government has succeeded in stabilizing the country’s economy while providing relief to the people. She further noted that Sri Lanka’s political culture has now undergone a positive transformation that is irreversible.
Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Paulraj, addressing the event, stated that a governance system has now been established in the country where all communities are treated equally and the benefits of economic development are shared fairly among all citizens.
Moving away from the traditional method of political gatherings, the event also provided an open platform for members of the Sri Lankan community to directly raise questions and express their views to the Prime Minister and the Minister.
Commenting on the organization of the event, the organizing committee stated that all expenses, including dinner, were borne by the participants themselves. The organizers further remarked that it is unsurprising that opposition groups, accustomed to organizing such events through the misuse of public funds, appear unsettled by this transparent process.
The occasion was attended by the Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Paulraj and Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Nimal Senadheera.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya currently undertaking an official visit to London, United Kingdom, to participate in the 43rd Commonwealth of Learning (COL) Board of Governors Meeting 2026 held a bilateral meeting with the Yvette Cooper MP, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom ON Wednesday [20]. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Nimal Senadheera, along with officials from the Sri Lankan High Commission.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed Sri Lanka’s appreciation to the United Kingdom for the support extended in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwa, including ongoing rebuilding and recovery assistance. The Prime Minister also commended the United Kingdom’s support in facilitating increased bilateral trade and exports for Sri Lanka.
The Prime Minister briefed the UK delegation on Sri Lanka’s recent economic developments and policy priorities, the Government’s commitment to advancing human rights and reconciliation, as well as Sri Lanka’s positive growth trajectory.
The two sides also exchanged views on current global geopolitical developments, challenges in the energy sector, and the importance of enhancing regional connectivity and long-term energy security.
Both sides also emphasised the importance of strengthening structured academic mobility frameworks while ensuring fairness, clarity, and integrity within migration systems.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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