News
Abuse of electric vehicle imports: President tells Treasury to act
View(s):President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed the Treasury to take a final decision about the continuity of the facility for migrant workers to import electric vehicles on concessionary terms, following complaints of abuse.
The presidential directive comes after the Treasury expressed concern to him over the facility being abused to a large extent amidst an inquiry by Customs, the Sunday Times learns. Treasury sources said initial investigations had shown that there were abuses, including undervaluation of vehicles.
According to initial Customs reports, 119 vehicles have already been imported under the scheme, with 75 being imported by one company.
Among the vehicles imported are BMW (22), Mercedes Benz (13), Porsche (05), Ford Mustang (06), Audi (06), Tesla (04), Peugeot (08), MG (18), Volkswagen (22) and Nissan (10).
A Customs spokesman said the investigations would cover vehicles already imported and cleared, vehicles to be cleared, and vehicles that are being imported.
The investigators will look into the remittance brought into the country, the valuation, and whether the vehicles have been sold.
The scheme was introduced to attract direct foreign remittances into the country through recognised banking channels.
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