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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P.

New Democratic Front (NDF)· National List

Profession: Chartered Accountant

Roster profile ↗
Speeches 694 #4 of 225·#1 in party
Attendance 8/8 days present (of recorded)
Top topic Parliamentary Procedure 359 speeches
Last spoke 10 June 2026 in Debate

Activity by sitting

114 sittings · counts only, no scoring.

Topic focus

AI summary AI-assigned tags, 1–3 per speech. Counts only — not a score.

Speech history

694 speeches
  • 25 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised a Point of Order. No substantive issue or argument was recorded in the provided speech excerpt. Second Round Oral Questions and Procedural Matters Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake urged that proposed measures be relaxed until key state and trade-related systems, including e-filing, the Registrar of Companies, ASYCUDA and Sri Lanka Customs, are sufficiently online and functional. He argued that the priority should be building an effective system rather than merely raising revenue, and called for collective effort to strengthen the economy. Debate: Companies (Amendment) Bill – Second Reading InfrastructurePublic Finance Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to reconsider the handling of the SVAT system, arguing that manual intervention and VAT cash-flow burdens could undermine exporters’ profitability and competitiveness. He warned that without appropriate tax relief, especially for SMEs, businesses may be weakened or relocate overseas, and asked the Minister to address these concerns. He also defended continuation of the IMF-supported open economic policy framework, crediting earlier reforms and recent economic stabilization efforts for enabling current operations. Debate: Companies (Amendment) Bill – Second Reading Cost of LivingEmploymentPublic Finance Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake argued that earlier implementation of reforms such as BOO schemes, commercialization or privatization of SriLankan Airlines, and other policy changes could have addressed current economic pressures. He called for dedicated support for exporters and protection for consumers, citing high taxes, interest rates, utility costs, transport costs, wage increases, and land and property taxes as burdens on SMEs and entrepreneurs. He urged the Government to create space for business activity while noting the need to raise Rs. 5 trillion for expenditure under the new fiscal framework and warning of payment difficulties if fiscal discipline is not sustained. Debate: Companies (Amendment) Bill – Second Reading EmploymentPublic FinanceCost of Living Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake requested an additional three minutes to continue his remarks. No substantive policy argument or proposal was made in this excerpt. Debate: Companies (Amendment) Bill – Second Reading Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake raised concerns over the Companies Registrar’s malfunctioning online system, questioning vendor arrangements and urging a stable, scalable platform to restore faster company registration and improve ease of doing business. He also warned that proposed Foreign Exchange Act and Companies Act provisions on outward investment limits and beneficial ownership could deter foreign investors if applied impractically. He called for more economically rational policies on renewable energy, LNG procurement, trade agreements, market access, para-tariffs, and infrastructure project delays, arguing that economic management should be driven by cost, investment, and competitiveness rather than political considerations. Debate: Companies (Amendment) Bill – Second Reading Public FinanceInfrastructureForeign Affairs Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake began to raise concerns regarding issues faced by exporters in relation to United States policy. The excerpt is too brief to identify any specific proposal, question, or demand beyond indicating that export-related policy concerns were to be addressed. Procedural: Standing Order 27(2) – Kankesanthurai Port Renovation Delay Foreign Affairs Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to retain the SVAT mechanism until e-filing and VAT-1 automation are fully operational, citing the short implementation timeline and risks to exporters’ cash flows if VAT is payable upfront. He said exporters already face high interest rates, taxes, utility costs, tariff pressures, and anti-dumping-related cost issues, and asked that the IMF be informed that export-sector protection is necessary. Procedural: Standing Order 27(2) – Simplified VAT (SVAT) Abolition Foreign AffairsEmploymentPublic Finance Read →
  • 23 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake raised concerns under Standing Order 27(2) about the planned abolition of the Simplified VAT scheme from 1 October 2025, reportedly linked to IMF EFF commitments, and its replacement with a 45-day VAT refund system. He argued that exporters face serious cash-flow risks due to past Inland Revenue refund delays, new US tariff pressures, and possible loss of competitiveness, and asked what safeguards, audit mechanisms, impact assessments, and transition policies the Government has prepared. He also requested that IMF recommendations and the Government’s abolition plan be presented to Parliament, and asked whether bridging facilities such as credit lines, VAT offsets, or interim payment channels would be provided for MSMEs and exporters. Procedural: Standing Order 27(2) – Simplified VAT (SVAT) Abolition Public FinanceForeign AffairsEmployment Read →
  • 22 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake requested the Deputy Minister to take action within the next few days to secure certain advantages for Sri Lanka. He made the request following guidance from the Speaker. Oral Question: Migrant Workers - Remittances (Q.6/2024) Foreign Affairs Read →
  • 22 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake urged the Government to pursue trade agreements and market-access opportunities, particularly with the US and UK, to retain employment and attract investors to Sri Lanka. He called for tax incentives, removal of para-tariffs, and duty-free measures to complement UK market access, while also safeguarding GSP negotiations and ensuring workers benefit from increased investment. Oral Question: Migrant Workers - Remittances (Q.6/2024) Public FinanceForeign AffairsEmployment Read →
  • 22 July 2025 AI summary Asked whether the Government would also address the practical problems faced by migrant workers. Oral Question: Migrant Workers - Remittances (Q.6/2024) Employment Read →
  • 22 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake questioned why migrant workers’ remittances, cited as USD 784 million from about 2.1 million workers in the previous month, receive only 4–5 percent interest from banks while the Government pays much higher rates on international sovereign borrowings. He asked the Deputy Minister to consider higher returns for remittance earners and to provide duty-free facilities for migrant workers when they return to Sri Lanka. Oral Question: Migrant Workers - Remittances (Q.6/2024) EmploymentPublic Finance Read →
  • 22 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism to provide data on Sri Lankans employed overseas as of 31 December 2024 and currently. He requested, for each year from 2015 to date, details on remittances from foreign employment in US dollars and Sri Lankan rupees, source countries, deportations due to contract defaults, action taken for affected workers, and income and expenditure under the migrant worker insurance scheme. Oral Question: Migrant Workers - Remittances (Q.6/2024) EmploymentForeign Affairs Read →
  • 11 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake supported proposals to build a production and knowledge-based economy, arguing that youth across all communities need access to capital rather than Government jobs. He called for the Central Bank to allocate at least 10 percent of its specific lending schemes to youth entrepreneurship and said its independence should not be used to obstruct national fiscal policy. He proposed redirecting funds currently used for entities such as SriLankan Airlines toward youth enterprises, including support for small rice mills, and claimed about Rs. 150 billion could help create one million youth entrepreneurs. Private Members' Motion No. 4: Making Every Youth Gainfully Employed EmploymentAgriculturePublic Finance Read →
  • 11 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake moved a motion proposing that every citizen reaching 18 should have a right to gainful employment or financial assistance to become self-employed, arguing that youth unemployment and frustration require a shift from welfare dependency to entrepreneurship and work-oriented policies. He called for seed capital of about Rs. 500,000 per youth, Central Bank funding windows for youth, women and MSMEs, tax relief for young e-commerce earners, and reforms to credit, university access, skills training and overseas employment standards. He also urged a focus on AI, innovation, renewable energy and trained migration, citing Sri Lanka’s fiscal constraints, post-bankruptcy recovery, and past episodes of youth unrest as context for the proposal. Private Members' Motion No. 4: Making Every Youth Gainfully Employed EducationPublic FinanceEmployment Read →
  • 11 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake sought clarification on the allocation of debate time for the day’s Private Members’ Motions. He asked whether each of the three Motions scheduled would be limited to one hour or whether any remaining time would be redistributed among them. Private Members' Motion No. 1: Co-operative Rural Banks Supervision Parliamentary Procedure Read →
  • 8 July 2025 AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake questioned how VAT would apply to foreign digital and booking platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Agoda.com and Booking.com when Sri Lankan companies already pay VAT locally. He warned of potential double taxation or inconsistent treatment where value is added abroad or services are hosted through jurisdictions such as Singapore, and asked for clarification to help address the issue. Debate: Imports and Exports (Control) Act - Salt Import Regulations (Gazette No. 2437/04) Public Finance Read →
  • 8 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake questioned the Minister on the VAT treatment of Uber’s operations in Sri Lanka, comparing it with PickMe’s payment of 18 percent VAT on invoice value. He asked whether Uber would be taxed on the full service value or only on the locally collected transport fee portion, and sought clarification on whether the Government would act against what he described as tax avoidance through structuring. Debate: Imports and Exports (Control) Act - Salt Import Regulations (Gazette No. 2437/04) Public Finance Read →
  • 8 July 2025 AI summary Ravi Karunanayake raised a procedural concern that annexes said to have been tabled in response to his Question No. 310/2024 on 20 June 2025 were not included in the Hansard record or the physical answer. He said this undermines Members’ access to information when, due to time limits, they accept the tabling of answers instead of full oral responses. Debate: Imports and Exports (Control) Act - Salt Import Regulations (Gazette No. 2437/04) Parliamentary Procedure Read →