COPA sub-committee to investigate irregularities in registration of dual-purpose vehicles

The Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) Prof. Tissa Vitarana has taken steps to appoint a special sub-committee to investigate into the loss of revenue to the government by registering vehicles imported for special purposes as dual-purpose vehicles.

He took this step at the COPA meeting held in Parliament recently. This meeting was convened to review the Auditor General's Reports for the year 2017-2018 and the current performance of the Customs, according to a statement issued by COPA.

Accordingly, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna was appointed as the Chairman of the Sub Committee while State Ministers Sudarshani Fernandopulle and Duminda Dissanayake, MPs Ashok Abeysinghe, (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya and Weerasumana Weerasinghe were appointed as the other members.

The committee drew the attention on the way of using the Special Purpose Vehicle Identification Codes (HS Code) by the Sri Lanka Customs and the legal changes that can be seen in the identification of vehicles for special purposes by the Department of Motor Traffic.

The committee emphasized that due to the non-compliance of the HS Code issued by the Sri Lanka Customs with the Department of Motor Traffic when registering vehicles, the government would lose a large amount of revenue due to the registration of such vehicles in another form.

The COPA also focused on the recommendation made by the committee appointed to resolve this issue at the COPA meeting held on 20th September, 2019, to obtain a certificate from Department of Import and Export Control when importing such vehicles.

In addition, the importance of making this committee report a law and the importance of amending the relevant laws for the Sri Lanka Customs and the Department of Motor Traffic to implement the recommendations of the relevant committee were also discussed at this meeting.

The committee Chairman inquired as to why the HS Code introduced by the SL Customs for imported vehicles is not used in the same way for the registration of the relevant vehicle by the Department of Motor Traffic.

The COPA Committee also noted the lack of an automated computerized computer comparison system between the Sri Lanka Customs and the Department of Motor Traffic. The Committee emphasized that the Ministry of Finance, the Sri Lanka Customs and the Department of Motor Traffic should work together to expedite the installation of this system to avoid many irregularities.

The COPA also drew attention to the use of fingerprint machines by Sri Lanka Customs officers to enter and exit the service. Customs officials pointed out that there are certain sections in the Customs where the fingerprint machine can be used practically and the fingerprint machine cannot be used. The Committee on Public Accounts directed that these sections be sent to the Committee separately.

State Ministers Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Duminda Dissanayake MPs Tissa Attanayake, Niroshan Perera, Ashok Abeysinghe, Weerasumana Weerasinghe and (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya and Secretary to the Treasury and Ministry of Finance S.R Attygalle officials of Sri Lanka Customs were participated at this meeting.