The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha
Dr. Anil Jayantha stated that a zero-tariff approach is not the only option under consideration and that the Government is exploring alternatives in response to the issue raised. He said a meeting with US authorities would be held that night and that information would subsequently be provided to Parliament. He also argued that tariff comparisons should not focus on a single country, noting differing rates in India, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar, and said the matter relates more to the trade deficit than to tariff levels alone.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Thank you, Sir.
¶ 02 Your point is well taken, but please note that zero tariff is not the only option. There are so many other alternatives and we are really exploring all those alternatives. Yes. In future, you will get to know these things. It is our responsibility to resolve this and we will have a meeting tonight with the US authorities. Then, all information would be revealed to Parliament. I am just telling you. Please, listen! Do not highlight one country which has a lower tariff rate. India has a tariff rate of 23 per cent. But, there are other countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar which have higher tariffs. So, it has nothing to do with the tariff, but the trade deficit.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 8 April 2025 ·No. 1747715041076408 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 April 2025. No. 1747715041076408. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/15131