The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition
Under Standing Order 27(2), Sajith Premadasa questioned the Government on its election pledge to amend the Online Safety Act and asked whether its operation would be suspended pending amendment, citing concerns over freedom of expression. He requested data on arrests, remand orders and convictions under the Act. He also sought clarification on the proposed 15 per cent income tax on foreign exchange earnings from IT services, including the number affected, expected revenue, whether the policy would proceed, and what mechanisms or studies exist to assess its impact on the digital economy and remittance channels.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, under Standing Order 27(2), I raise the following:
¶ 02 1. When will the Government amend the Online Safety Act (OSA), which was a key election pledge, and will its operation be fully suspended until amendment, given its chilling effect on freedom of expression?
¶ 03 2. Under the OSA, how many suspects have been arrested, how many remanded, and how many convicted?
¶ 04 3. The proposed Income Tax amendment envisages a 15% tax from April on foreign exchange earned via IT services. How many service exporters will be affected, and what annual revenue is expected? A Cabinet Minister has publicly opposed this tax. Is the policy to proceed with 15%, or has the Government withdrawn it?
¶ 05 4. Has a mechanism been proposed to identify such tax revenues from foreign remittances? If not, why?
¶ 06 5. What studies has the Government conducted on the overall impact on the digital economy and the potential shift to informal remittance channels? Will the Government withdraw the 15% tax and suspend the OSA pending new legislation?
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Tuesday, 4 March 2025 ·No. 1742359468086980 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 4 March 2025. No. 1742359468086980. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/10234