The Hon. Jagath Vithana
Hon. Jagath Vithana challenged the government’s claim that it inherited a bankrupt economy by citing the 2025 Budget, Economic and Financial Situation report, which records economic growth of 5.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2024. He also sought clarification on Annexure IV of the 2025 Budget Speech, which states that VAT arrears of construction contractors involved in tsunami projects will be written off. He requested details of the companies, beneficiaries, and amounts involved, noting concerns about the decision and its connection to projects from a period when the current President was a Cabinet Minister.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, before commenting on the Budget, I wish to note the following. The President and government Members repeatedly say they inherited a bankrupt country. However, the “Report on the Budget, Economic and Financial Situation – 2025” states:
¶ 02 “Since the second half of 2023, with the economy stabilizing, in 2024 Sri Lanka’s economy recorded a commendable growth. Compared to 1.6% growth in the third quarter of 2023, in the corresponding period of 2024, the economy grew by 5.5%.”
¶ 03 This is from the official report.
¶ 04 Next, I seek clarification. In the Budget Speech 2025, Annexure IV, under VAT arrears, it states: “Value Added Tax Arrears as per records of Commissioner General of Inland Revenue in respect of projects carried out by construction contractors of Tsunami projects, will be written off.” This statement appears only in English. The current President was a Cabinet Minister at the time. Who owns these companies? We have a legitimate concern and a right to know. The report indicates a decision to write these taxes off in 2025. We need to know the beneficiaries and amounts.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Saturday, 22 February 2025 ·No. 1741001658041256 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/25053
Cite as: The Hon. Jagath Vithana. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 22 February 2025. No. 1741001658041256. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/25053