The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure
The Minister stated that the Government’s current fiscal approach is intended to protect reserves, stabilize the currency, and support economic recovery while providing relief as growth improves. He cited record first-quarter tourism revenue in 2025 and the plantation sector’s best first-quarter production and income in 11 years, and defended the increase in vehicle-related revenues from 20 to 30 per cent as a necessary decision within available means.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 That is why we are now able to proceed on this course.
¶ 02 We also note 2025 Q1 tourism has recorded the highest-ever quarterly revenue in our history, and my Ministry’s plantation sector has seen the best first-quarter production and income in 11 years. Increasing vehicle-related revenues from 20% to 30% was done with reserve protection and currency stabilization in mind; as growth improves, we will extend further relief to sectors including transport. Government decisions mirror a household: you spend according to means. Previous governments failed to take such decisions; we will not repeat that. We will continue to revive the economy and provide relief, rejecting false narratives. Thank you.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 8 May 2025 ·No. 1748426168056758 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 May 2025. No. 1748426168056758. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/21913