News
JVP: Govt. using brawn, not brains
By Saman Indrajith
The incumbent government is headed by those who use their brawn instead of brains to solve problems, says the JVP.
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, addressing the media at the party headquarters, in Pelawatte yesterday said that problems confronted by the people and their grievances could not be solved by muscle power, but the rulers needed to put their heads together to work out solutions.
“The ministers try to solve people’s problems using their muscle power. The best example was the recent raids carried out against rice millers. The government vowed to break down the so-called rice mafia and got its men to raid warehouses and stores and showed those raids on TV with drama and suspense. The raids could recover only eight hundred kilos of rice. The amount recovered had no significance because the country’s daily consumption of rice was at six million kilos a day. The show of coercive power has not yielded significant results,” Dissanayake said.
“In purchasing paddy the government introduced a controlled price instead of a certified price. If the government had introduced a certified price, the farmers could have made use of that price as the bottom price and could have sold their harvest to a higher price. As a result of controlled prices, they had to sell their paddy at 50 rupees a kilo. After the farmers have sold their paddy, a new price of 55 rupees a kilo has been introduced. Farmers lost five rupees from each kilo because of that jumbling of prices.
“Tea industry is now in its last legs because the plantations could not get chemical input. Tea smallholders have found that they could not yield their normal produce using organic fertilisers. Similarly the maize cultivations too are on the verge of collapse because maize seeds need chemical inputs. Usually, this country imports 1,500 metric tonnes of maize seed. Owing to uncertainty this year the imports decreased to 600 metric tonnes. Of that only around 150 metric tonnes have been sold for cultivation. This shows the uncertainty in the minds of farmers to cultivate maize. This will have direct repercussions on agriculture-output.
“The government promised to help 200,000 farmers, using organic fertilisers. They promised to give each farmer Rs 210,000 to start with. The government put up advertisements promising that. It revised the number of 200,000 farmers to 100,000. Thereafter it announced that each farmer would be paid Rs 150,000. Thereafter the number of farmers to receive the government incentive was reduced from 100,000 to 10,000 and the amount of funds promised decreased to Rs 110,000. Finally the government revised its numbers again and said that one farmer from each Agrarian Service Centre would be given the incentive. There are around 560 such centres in the country. That was how the number of farmers using organic fertiliser was brought down from 200,000 to 560. The senior ministers should have had their heads examined before launching such projects.”
The Appeal Court last week (18) set a date for July 30 to review of a petition seeking the annulment of an order previously issued by the court that prevented the summoning of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a witness in the case regarding the disappearance of social activists Lalith Weeraraj and Kugun Muruganandan.
The case is currently being heard at the Jaffna Court.
The petition, filed by the association of relatives of missing persons during the war, seeks a fresh order compelling Rajapaksa to appear as a witness. Lalith Weeraraj and Kugun Muruganandan went missing on December 9, 2011, and the case is being heard in connection with their abduction. Rajapaksa, who was then Defence Secretary, was previously summoned to testify in the Jaffna Court in relation to the case.
Rajapaksa challenged the summons, citing security concerns, and an appeal filed in the Appeal Court resulted in dismissing the order, preventing him from appearing in court. The new petition aims to overturn this decision, as Rajapaksa is no longer serving as president.
The case involves the abduction of Lalith and Kugun, two activists who disappeared in Jaffna in 2011. The relatives of the missing persons are pushing for the court to compel Rajapaksa to testify, arguing that he is no longer protected by the previous ruling, which had prevented him from being summoned while in office.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr. Anand Ratnayake said that three people in Sri Lanka die every day from oral cancer.
In a media briefing held by the Health Promotion Bureau, Colombo to mark World Oral Health Day on Thursday (20), Dr. Ratnayake explained that tobacco, tobacco-related products, and betel leaves have been conclusively proven to be carcinogenic factors contributing to the disease.
Dr. Ratnayake further disclosed that approximately 3,000 new cases of oral cancer are reported annually in Sri Lanka. However, he emphasized that if detected early, oral cancer can be easily managed and controlled. He attributed a significant portion of the cases to smoking and betel chewing, both of which are major risk factors in the development of this deadly disease.
The alarming statistics serve as a stark reminder of the health risks associated with tobacco and betel consumption, underscoring the need for increased awareness and early detection to prevent further loss of life.
By Sujeewa Thathsara
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has been able to collect only 10 percent of taxes due from the eight million strong workforce, it was revealed during a probe conducted by the Committee on Public Finance of Parliament.
This was revealed during a COPE probe on IRD at the parliamentary complex on Tuesday (18), parliament sources said.
The COPF chaired by Dr. Harsha de Silva summoned to discuss the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill to amend the Inland Revenue Act, No. 24 of 2017.
The issue that IRD has only been able to collect taxes from 800,000 when there are approximately 8 million in the workforce came up when the Committee took into consideration the proposal that PIT (Personal Income Tax) relief to be increased from Rs. 1,200,000 per annum to Rs. 1,800,000 per annum under the Bill.
The Bill while proposing PIT relief be increased from Rs. 1,200,000 per annum to Rs. 1,800,000 per annum, also Income Tax rate on betting and gaming, tobacco and liquor industries to be increased from 40% to 45%.
Furthermore, export of services will be liable for income tax at the rate of 15% and proposals have also been made that Withholding Tax (WHT) rate on interest to be increased from 5% to 10%.
Considering PAYE data analysis in-depth, the COPF concluded that there is an error in the existing data. Accordingly, the Committee Chair directed the officials to provide an accurate data analysis to the Committee.
Moreover, it was also disclosed at the Committee on Public Finance that the implementation of obtaining a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) while being essential for paying taxes / importing/exporting or obtaining any services from the Inland Revenue, is not functioning. The Committee instructed the officials present to update the Committee on the status regarding the smooth execution of the process.
Considering the proposal on Income Tax rate on betting and gaming, tobacco and liquor industries to be increased from 40% to 45% the Committee expressed its dissatisfaction over the failure of the Ministry to duly establish a casino regulator. Furthermore, the Committee Chair also expressed its dissatisfaction given that the Inland Revenue Department had failed to provide proper data requested by the Committee previously on the revenue received from Casino operations of the last five years.
The Committee also questioned official present regarding having to pay 25% against a tax appeal. The Committee questioned if it is ethical to demand a cash deposit instead of a bank guarantee when making an appeal.This meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma along with MPs Ravi Karunanayake, Wijesiri Basnayake, Nimal Palihena.
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