The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development
The Minister responded to Opposition remarks on US tariff measures, saying the issue reflects a broader global US trade posture rather than a bilateral matter that can be solved through informal political interventions. He stated that Sri Lanka’s reduction from 44 per cent to 30 per cent was achieved through state-to-state trade diplomacy and was the best outcome among 25 notified countries. He also clarified that India had not received a formal tariff reduction notice, and that the cited 26 per cent figure referred only to an earlier general calculation, not an applied reduction.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 We fully understand the matter. If you are intervening sincerely, we appreciate it. However, the Opposition’s narratives have been contradictory—some ask what has been achieved; others appreciate it. That is your prerogative. But this is not merely a Sri Lanka–US issue; it is a global posture by the US. It cannot be resolved by casual calls or party visits. Trade diplomacy must proceed at state-to-state level alongside all countries. The 44% to 30% reduction is a result of our diplomatic efforts and is the maximum benefit obtained among the 25 countries notified.
¶ 02 Also, to clarify: you mentioned India has 26%. India has not yet received a courtesy letter. You referred to a prior general calculation on India’s trade ratio (26%), not an applied tariff reduction. We reduced ours from 44% to 30%. For India, there is no such reduction announced yet.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 11 July 2025 ·No. 1753082553092748 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 11 July 2025. No. 1753082553092748. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/21065