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600 more duty-free luxury vehicles coming
The Government is to issue duty-free permits to import vehicles to launch a ‘luxury taxi service’ to be operated from the country’s two international airports at Katunayaka and Mattala, Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratna said.
Initially, the Government would offer upto 600 permits to import BMW 7 Series, Benz cars, Jaguars, Chryslers and other luxury vehicles mainly to be used by the visiting business community and VIPs, he said.
“We have found that other countries which attract investors provide the facility of a luxury taxi service. With more investors expected here, we have decided to launch the service from next month. “Businessmen who came here to attend the Business Forum during the Commonwealth summit made inquiries about the availability of luxury taxi services, but we had none,” Mr. Jayaratna said.
He said the ministry would provide land close to the two international airport to the taxi service operator or operators on a lease agreement. To ensure that the luxury taxi service did not have an adverse impact on those now operating normal taxi services at the two airports, the charges in the luxury service would be much higher, the minister said.
For the CHOGM last month, the Government imported duty free more than 50 luxury Benz cars and other limousines.