The Hon. Rohana Bandara

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Order under the Stamp Duty (Special Provisions) Act and the Regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act.

¶ 02 On stamp duty, while revenue to local authorities is discussed, at a time when we are trying to rebuild the country, doubling stamp duty burdens those acquiring land or starting businesses. We need taxes, yes, but the private sector is struggling to breathe; such weights must be reconsidered.

¶ 03 On imports and exports, the government has failed to manage issues. In Anuradhapura, large stocks of onions are sitting with farmers and small traders who borrowed from banks to procure from farmers, yet imports were allowed with low prices and no duty—while rice, an essential, was once taxed Rs. 5 per kilo upon import despite stable local prices. This policy is incoherent. Egg prices haven’t dropped despite onion imports.

¶ 04 We also see puzzling decisions: allowing petrol engine imports but banning diesel engines; after years of a vehicle import ban, owners have had to replace engines to keep vehicles running—why allow one and ban the other?

¶ 05 Government speakers focused not on the Regulations but on proclaiming their purity and anti-corruption. One government MP said all businesses are fine, only the illicit liquor trade has collapsed. How do they know that? We heard of a Kalutara district MP allegedly calling police to release an illicit brewer, threatening to transfer the OIC to Vavuniya otherwise. Is this your “purity”?