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Inland Revenue Dept receives 4,831 returned cheques!

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The Inland Revenue Department had received 4,831 return cheques worth of Rs.2.4 billion (2,488,003,615 rupees) as of June 30, out of which 3,817 cheques were more than 3 years old, it was revealed during a recent Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) hearing.

It has also been revealed that the value of those three-year-old cheques is Rs.1,429,356,750.

This was disclosed when the Inland Revenue Department was summoned before COPA on the day before yesterday (28) under the Chairmanship of MP Kabir Hashim to review the progress of implementing recommendations given by COPA held on March 24, 2021 and look into whether the Department is capable of achieving the tax revenue proposed in the 2023 Budget.

The committee questioned the lack of legal action in this regard and the officers present stated that their department does not have the authority to take legal action. The Chairman of COPA pointed out that this is a criminal offence and the necessary legal proceedings in this regard should be implemented soon.

The Chairman of the COPA recommended that a report be given to the Committee within a month regarding the legal action taken in this regard after consultation with the Attorney General’s Department.

The COPA revealed that the total arrears of taxes, penalties and interest due to the Inland Revenue Department as at June 30, 2022 is Rs. 773,957,856,618 (Rs.773 billion).

It was disclosed that an amount of Rs. 201,400,855,198 (Rs.201 billion) has been identified as income that can be collected without any legal concern and that Rs. 572,557,001,420 (Rs.572 billion) has been identified as income that has been temporarily suspended due to certain reasons.

It was also pointed out by the Auditor General that this amount has been identified as the total arrears of tax to be collected under both the RAMIS and Legacy systems. Furthermore, there was a long discussion about the failure to collect 201 billion rupees which is available as revenue from this tax arrears.

Accordingly, the present officials pointed out that recovery of this money on an installment basis has already started.

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Weather Alert: Showers to ease in Southwest, strong winds forecast in North

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Prevailing showery condition in the southwestern part of the island is expected to reduced gradually from today (01st)

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Aluthgamage and Fernando assigned printing work in prison

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Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, sentenced this week to jail for 20 and 25 years, respectively, have been assigned duties in the printing section at the Welikada prison, sources said.

Both of them are being held together away from the main section of the prison’s ‘chapel’ section, where prisoners serving life sentences and those convicted of murder and rape are held. The prison’s printing section prints its own documentation.

Prison sources said that in placing them in relevant wards to serve their jail term, the authorities had taken into consideration the security of the two convicts, as they might have had political enemies.

Mr Aluthgamage was handed a 20-year term of rigorous imprisonment, while Mr Fernando was given a 25-year term of rigorous imprisonment by a High Court trial-at-bar after being found guilty of causing a Rs 53 million loss to the state.

They were accused of importing carrom boards and checkers boards through Sathosa during the 2015 presidential elections and distributing them to clubs.

Their lawyers said yesterday they were awaiting the certified copy of the judgement to prepare the appeal papers. The appeal will be considered by the Supreme Court.

(sundaytimes.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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COVID subvariants spreading in Asia detected in Sri Lanka

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The Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the COVID-19 variant currently spreading in the Asian region has also been identified in the country.

Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a specialist in viral diseases at the Medical Research Institute, stated that patients infected with the Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG are being reported locally.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that this finding was confirmed through research conducted on biological samples collected from several hospitals across the island.

However, he emphasized that there is no need for undue fear regarding these COVID-19 variants.

Health authorities have also stressed the importance of vulnerable groups—such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses—following health guidelines, including wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.

Dr. Jayamaha reiterated that new COVID-19 variants emerge periodically, and health authorities are continuously monitoring the situation, so the public should remain calm.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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