News

Ways and Means committee displeased over failure to recover 2023 tax arrears

Published

10 months ago

July 12, 2024

editor

The Committee on Ways and Means expressed its strong displeasure over the failure to act on the recommendations given by the committee on 24.04.2024 to collect the total tax amount of 1.1 billion rupees for the year 2023 from the relevant liquor manufacturers on or before 30.06.2024.

The Excise Department stated that the recommendations given by the committee and the contradictions between the agreements for the collection of excise duty in previous years and the measures to be taken in this regard were inquired from the Ministry of Finance on 24.05.02, but no reply was received from the Ministry.

This was discussed on 10.07.2024 when the Committee on Ways and Means met at the Parliament premises under the chairmanship of MP Patali Champika Ranawaka.

Tax arrears
It was revealed that the arrears of taxes of W.M Mendis Company is 1659 million rupees, Higurana Distilleries 102 million rupees, Synergy Company 37 million rupees and Wayamba Distilleries 79 million rupees. Thus, it was also revealed before the committee that the total arrears of taxes to be collected from the year 2023 to 15.06.2024 is 1.8 billion rupees. Although the committee had given the recommendation to fully collect the arrears, the committee emphasized that the Parliament and the public will be informed about the Excise Department’s failure to fulfill its responsibility.

Furthermore, it was revealed that the payment agreements made by the Excise Department with companies other than W.M Mendis have now become inactive. The Chair said that the Commissioner General of Excise has failed to take proper action in this regard and despite this, the Commissioner is avoiding the Committee on Ways and Means. The committee chair further pointed out that the Excise Department is ignoring the recommendations of the Committee and it is disrespectful to the Parliament and the Committee.

The chair of the committee directed the secretary to the committee to send a written notice to the Ministry of Finance to temporarily suspend the licenses of alcohol production of companies that do not pay arrears of excise duty for the year 2023.

The committee also expressed its displeasure over the excise department adopting a lenient policy on liquor manufacturers who did not pay due excise duty while levying taxes on the general public. Also, the committee expressed its strong displeasure regarding the non-implementation of the recommendations given to the Ministry of Finance in four committee meetings.

Furthermore, the attention of the committee was drawn to the flooding of the Kandy railway station. The officers stated before the committee that the drainage system inside the Kandy railway station is not sufficient and that their maintenance and repair activities should be carried out urgently. The committee advised to draw the attention of the World Bank in this regard, to submit these proposals to the District Coordinating Committee, and to contact the Railway Department for the same.

Further investigation regarding the petition submitted with regard to the provision of muddy water to the people of Avissawella area by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board was also taken in to the consideration. There was a discussion regarding the authorized and unauthorized gem mining that has led to the issue and informed to get the list of licensed gem mining related to the ‘Getaheththa canal’ by contacting the National Gem and Jewelry Authority. Accordingly, the chairman of the committee instructed the officers present to observe this issue and submit a related report to the Committee.

News

Major reforms planned for bus transport

Published

4 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Aviation, Bimal Rathnayake, recently held a special discussion with officials from the National Transport Commission (NTC), the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), and the Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authorities across nine provinces. The meeting led to several key decisions aimed at modernizing and improving the country’s road passenger transport sector.

Among the major initiatives discussed were:

Immediate implementation of an integrated bus timetable for the Puttalam route.
Launch of a pilot project on Route 138, where all buses operate under a single association with profit-sharing arrangements.
Installation of GPS and CCTV systems in buses for improved monitoring and safety.
Development of an online ticket booking system in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Technology.
Introduction of random drug and alcohol testing for bus drivers.
Mandatory issuance of bus tickets through electronic ticketing machines (implementation phase in progress).
Formulation of specifications for buses used in passenger transport.
Mandatory seatbelt usage for bus drivers.
Identification of new roads/routes for the addition of new bus services.
Provision of WhatsApp numbers for passengers to report complaints about buses, with numbers prominently displayed inside buses.
Minister Rathnayake emphasized the need for swift action to implement these measures and instructed officials to continuously monitor and report on the progress of each initiative.

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Chongqing gears up for 25th Lijia International Intelligent Equipment expo

Published

5 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

The international internet celebrity city of Chongqing in China will host a grand equipment manufacturing industry event – the 25th Lijia International Intelligent Equipment Exhibition 2025 next month.

The Expo will be held at the Chongqing International Expo Center from May 13th to 16th, 2025, attracting exhibitors and professional visitors from all over the world to discuss and showcase the latest technologies and products in the equipment manufacturing industry.

This exhibition, spanning across 100,000 sq. meters will bring together 1,400 globally renowned enterprises which will showcase their intelligent manufacturing equipment and technology, particularly the latest achievements, cutting-edge technologies, and high-end products in the fields of machine tools, industrial automation and robots, tool holders and measuring tools, sheet metal, die-casting casting, molds, rubber and plastic.

The 2025 Lijia Exhibition will also create multiple themed exhibition islands showcasing manufacturing powerhouses of China, which will comprehensively showcase solutions to industry pain points through on-site demonstrations, technical explanations, and physical displays.

In addition, the exhibition will also hold over 100 industry conferences and events. The main forum, “FIM-Future Intelligent Manufacturing Conference,” focuses on future factories, with the theme of AI+manufacturing. Industry experts are expected to provide suggestions and recommendations for manufacturing transformation.

Organizers point out that for global manufacturing enterprises, the expo is not only an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and products in China’s equipment manufacturing industry, but also also an important platform for gaining a deeper understanding of the Chinese market and expanding international cooperation. It will also open up opportunities to engage in in-depth exchanges and cooperation with Chinese counterparts, and to jointly promote the development and prosperity of the global equipment manufacturing industry.

News

RW issues special statement after exiting CIABOC (Video)

Published

6 hours ago

April 28, 2025

editor

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has left the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) after providing a statement today (April 28).

Soon afterwards, he had also made a special statement in this regard.

(Video : VoiceTube)

(Previous news 2025 April 28 – 9.20.a.m.)

Ex-President Ranil to appear before CIABOC today

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to appear before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (April 28) at 9.30 a.m.

He has been summoned to record a statement over the statement he had made on MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.

Former President Wickremesinghe, who was initially summoned to the CIABOC on April 17 but requested a postponement. He had requested a date after April 27th to appear before CIABOC, citing that his lawyer Ronald Perera is currently abroad.

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