Internal sources at the SriLankan Airline said that it has become impossible to maintain the airline due to the inability of the management to fulfill the demands made by the aviation engineers.
Due to this situation, several flights of SriLankan Airlines were delayed in the last few days.
Meanwhile, a special discussion has been called today (02) to look into the matter.
This discussion is scheduled to be held today at 9.30 am under the chairmanship of Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.
It was reported that the authorities would inquire about the delayed flights, which had added a blemish to the country’s national airline.
The management of SriLankan Airlines and all trade union representatives are scheduled to attend the discussion.
Several SriLankan flights were canceled in the past few days and delays continued in some flight schedules.
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has warned to prosecute importers and retailers selling salt without proper labels, including missing manufacturer/importer info and retail price.
The public is advised not to buy such products, while distributors have urged to maintain valid invoices with supplier details or face legal consequences.
The National Book Traders Association says that the price of printed books has increased by 20% due to the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) and Nation Building Tax (NBT).
Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association President – Mr. Samantha Indeewara, made this statement while speaking at the annual anniversary event of the National Book Traders Association.
“The price of a book has increased by 20%, or about one-fifth. Officials are confusing the issue. Previously, there was a 15% VAT imposed on many items but there was no VAT on printed books. That’s what directly changed from 0% to 18%. Stationery previously had only 3% VAT. They are mixing up these two categories.”
“Around a week ago, there was a letter from the Presidential Secretariat stating that they are conducting an analysis regarding VAT and will subsequently provide an answer,” he added. Meanwhile, Mr. Gamini Moragoda, patron of the National Book Traders Association, also expressed his views to the media on the matter:
“A VAT that is not levied in any other country in the world is being imposed on our books. The introduction of this tax from Jan. 2024, which didn’t exist in Sri Lanka for 75 years, is destroying the book industry. If this continues, a child will not be able to afford a single book in the future,” he pointed out.
Despite the 06 months since the agreement was signed for the $3.7 billion Sinopec oil refinery in Hambantota, the project remains stalled due to unresolved disputes over local market access, reports reveal.
The project, signed during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s state visit to Beijing in Jan. 2025, was touted as Sri Lanka’s largest-ever foreign direct investment (FDI) project.
It involves China’s state-owned petroleum giant Sinopec constructing a state-of-the-art refinery with a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day in Hambantota.
According to the media release issued by the President’s Media Division on the occasion of the signing in Jan. 2025, a substantial portion of the refinery’s output was planned for export, further enhancing the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
“This major investment from China is expected to bolster Sri Lanka’s economic growth while uplifting the livelihoods of low-income communities in the Hambantota area. Moreover, the benefits of this project are anticipated to positively impact the overall Sri Lankan population in the near future,” the PMD release further noted.
According to ‘Daily Mirror’, the project has hit a snag over the government imposing a 20% cap on the company’s local sales, despite Sinopec’s demand for unrestricted access to Sri Lanka’s domestic fuel market.
A senior Energy Ministry official, on the condition of anonymity, has confirmed that no agreement has been reached on the market share issue, though discussions are underway to resolve the matter, the report adds.
