The Sri Lankan government is considering a tax hike on car imports to curb imports and stop the outflow of foreign reserves, official sources revealed. The Sri Lankan rupee depreciation will not be sufficient to slow the demand for vehicles, and the government will be compelled to increase vehicle taxes, an official said adding that a sizable portion of the excess liquidity gained partly by foreign borrowings went into vehicle imports. Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserves have dropped to around US$ 6 billion from $9 billion, official data showed. Under this set up the Treasury has had to suggest measures to control imports as the country’s fuel bill has also risen in the recent past due to lowering of prices, he added. (Bandula)
A Thai woman walking topless in Arugam Bay town has been arrested by the Police.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
The Cabinet has approved a proposal for Sri Lankans overseas to apply for their passports through an online system via the Lankan diplomatic missions.
Villagers in Nirmalapura, Daluwa, Norochcholai today staged a protest over an incident where a group of Navy officials and sailors had assaulted a resident in the area over night, Police said.
A passenger attempting to smuggle the largest quantity of gold of 35 kilo grams was arrested by the Customs at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) today, a senior official said.
Leave Comments