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Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa

The Economic Development Ministry invested a massive amount in the North during 2009-2011. It spent Rs. 7,075 million on resettlement and houses, Rs. 2,750 million on irrigation channels, Rs. 5,247 million on major irrigation channels, Rs. 2,611 million on social infrastructure, education and health, Rs. 686 million on livelihood programmes, Rs. 15,270 million on poverty alleviation and Rs. 323 million on skills development, while Rs. 33,962 million was spent on building Divisional Secretariats and other Government institutions.

We have spent US$ 76,467 million during 2009-2011 for reconstructing destroyed bridges and road development in the North. It means an expenditure of Rs. 76 billion. All road construction has been completed by now. The 850 metre-long runway of Palaly Airport has been completed. It is the first stage of the Palaly Airport Development project for which investments have already been made. Work on the second and third stages are now in progress. Construction work on the Kankesanturai harbour too has begun.

During the past 30 years, all democratic and people’s institutions in the North had been destroyed. Not only people’s representatives, but also the cooperative movement had been destroyed. Cameron who is scared to travel to Northern Ireland in his own country, can travel without fear to the North of Sri Lanka.

It is only we who can solve the ethnic issue. This is our country’s problem. It is a national problem. Foreigners have no feelings for us. I know that, if they wanted to, they could have intervened in our crisis. But they had no interest to do so. Some countries wanted us to kill Prabhakaran for their own purposes – not in the people’s interest. Now they are shedding crocodile tears.

Senior Minister Tissa Vitharana

The path of capitalist economic development that the Government is undertaking must be properly controlled to avoid all the problems that arise, such as corruption, maladministration and waste; and for this, good governance has to be introduced and strong action taken in this regard. There is also the danger of increasing inequality, debt and social tensions. The tax policy is a major factor.

Eighty per cent of the taxes are collected indirectly through taxes such as VAT, while only 20 per cent are collected directly as income tax. The maximum slab is only 24 per recent for individuals and 28 per cent for companies. This should be increased to at least 25 per cent in our opinion if we are to get the necessary income; and the burden that is being put on the poor people must be removed by removing all taxes on essentials such as VAT. The adverse foreign trade balance and the foreign debt that is escalating arises from the fact that we are allowing the rich to import luxury goods .This must be reduced by having higher taxes on luxury goods.

UNP Colombo District MP Sujeewa Senasinghe

I would like to mention a few words about CHOGM. The UNP is a party that loves this country and its people; we are perturbed that the Channel 4 people were allowed into this country. They should have been prevented entry into this country. We also have questions about the behaviour of British Prime Minister David Cameron. We have to accept the good work done by the Government in the North as well.

But if you take this Budget, it is hollow. There is no relief for the poor people of this country. The economy is on the decline. Some ministers who enjoy all the luxuries come here and tell us all kinds of tall tales. Today the country has got caught in a debt trap. Sixty per cent of the Budget allocation has gone to one family. Does this mean that the other ministers are incapable of work? This has been the trend in the past few years.

Minister of Industries, Rishard Bathiyutheen

In this Budget, we have continued with the consistent policies that were implemented last year by way of the specific stimulus extended to the Apparel sector, so that we can become one of the top 10 Apparel manufacturing countries in the world by 2020.

I welcome the Budget proposal to remove the lower rate of tax applicable to companies with a taxable income not exceeding Rs. 5 million. This is a great step towards sustaining our SME sector, which is the driving force of our economy and the backbone of the economy.

I also welcome the Budget proposal to provide interest-free loans up to Rs 250,000 to women entrepreneurs. This is an innovative step for women’s empowerment, and will support their own income generating activities, so that they can play a stronger economic role within their communities.

The impact of this Budget is far reaching and has long term benefits for Sri Lanka’s exports, investments, SMEs, women entrepreneurs and the overall economy.

TNA Parliamentary group Leader R. Sampanthan

The Budget has been formulated so as to satisfy most segments in this country in some way to keep them generally happy. I do not see any particular effort being made to address wasteful expenditure in the country; that there is a great deal of waste in this country of the wealth of the common people is without question. I am sure the people would much prefer such wasted resources being more beneficially utilised so as to benefit them.

The issue of enhancing our exports could have been given greater attention because, eventually, the future of our economy in its various aspects is going to largely depend upon how much we are able to earn in foreign exchange. I might say that running casinos may not be the most sensible way to address this need.

Governance in this country is based on the premise that this country was for a long period, around two-and-a-half to three decades afflicted with a serious menace, the LTTE, and the assumption that the physical elimination of the LTTE has restored peace and normalcy with equity and justice. Nothing, I submit, can be further from the truth. The LTTE was the manifestation of a grave problem that had long existed in this country from shortly after Independence, consequent on justice and equity not being meted out to all its people on equal terms

Judging by what is happening in this country today, I would think that there are two critical words that have a bearing on the future of this country, and those words are “accountability” and “reconciliation”. Genuine reconciliation is not possible unless there is credible accountability. Unfortunately, one observes impunity in every area of activity moving towards authoritarianism.

The treatment of the Tamil people is worse than what it has been ever before.Around a million Tamils have already fled the country. They constitute the Tamil Diaspora in different parts of the world. It is the view of most Tamils that it is the deliberate thinking and policy of this Government that, rather than enabling the Tamils to live as equal citizens in this country, they should be harassed to such a degree in every conceivable way, that they are compelled to leave the country.