Customs, IRD continue protest amidst Ravi’s denials
View(s):Sri Lanka Customs and Inland Revenue Department (IRD) officers held protest campaigns this week against alleged attempts to set up an investigations unit to monitor revenue collection and outsourcing tax collection. Responding to a question raised by the Business Times at a media briefing on Friday, Minister Ravi Karunanayake said there were no protest campaigns and denied attempts to set up any such unit or outsource tax collection. (Turn to Page 3 for evidence of one such protest at the IRD) The country’s revenue collection has improved, he said adding that no meeting was held with trade unions of the two departments to discuss the matter,
Members of the Customs Officers Union (COU) staged a protest demonstration on Tuesday against an attempt to set up an investigations unit to monitor the Customs Department by the Finance Ministry. COU President Nishantha Uduw ila said the proposed unit will be established to monitor the four main departments in collecting revenue: Customs, Excise, Valuation and Inland Revenue Departments. The unit is to be made up of retired personnel from the Police Department and the three Armed Forces, he said.