The Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana
Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana highlighted the high excise revenue earned from locally produced liquor, citing a Rs. 1,832 tax on a 750 ml bottle of commonly consumed arrack. He noted that widespread alcohol consumption contributes to health burdens, with drinkers later requiring free treatment in public hospitals, and linked liquor taxation to the costs borne by the health system.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Minister, according to your answer, a large amount of tax revenue is received by the Government from locally produced liquor. For example, on the so-called “rock bottle” in common parlance, a 750 ml bottle of “gal arrack” is taxed at Rs. 1,832. That is the type most consumed in Sri Lanka—consumed everywhere, even at funerals and weddings. Those who drink end up at hospitals and then the Health Minister has to give medicines free. That rock bottle—
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 5 February 2026 ·No. 23269 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/12917
Cite as: The Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 5 February 2026. No. 23269. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/12917