Lucky Dip
The Mahapola Trust Fund is matching numbers with US lottery solutions provider, GTECH to spin off its own sweepstakes operation next year.Betting Rs. …
All News
Restart? Retry? Abort?
The IT industry is slowly recovering. And so is demand for IT pros. But the job market for IT professionals has also gone through some rapid changes …
Please Give
The government is hoping to persuade BOI firms to submit to the proposed Economic Service Charge.Finance Minister K N Choksy says the agreements with …
Hold On
Political power play has put in the balance plans by HSBC to set up a huge call center in the country.The banking giant was planning to set up a call …
Cease Lease
Attempts through the budget to force leasing companies to pay tax could make leasing unattractive and uncompetitive according to the …
Slithering Down
Sri Lanka Telecom reported a 26 percent dip in net profits for the first nine months, due to an early retirement scheme, higher operating costs and …
Hidden Costs
World Bank is likely to chip in and help the government foot the hefty early retirement bill to off load around 300,000 public servants. …
No Sacred Cow
The UNF administration looks set go ahead with the tax on share trading profits, with the same determination, it is implementing unpopular reforms …
Look Who’s Talking?
The main opposition Peoples Alliance is geared for Act Two of the ongoing political drama, with the President on Thursday setting a mid December …
Travel Charger
Collection problems could bog down state plans to charge a Rs. 300 annual levy on mobile handsets as planned from next January, which works out to …
Is It A Mirage?
The UNF government is prepared to forget the past and offer a greater role for the opposition in the current peace talks, if a consensus can be …
Out Of Focus
The Treasury is taking a second look at budget proposal to slap a new tax on equity trading, following howling protest by market …
Soaring Eagle
Eagle Insurance says its net profits have soared 55 percent for the first nine months of this year, despite stiff competition in the local …
Naughty Naughty
The telecom watchdog won the first round against Mobitel on Wednesday, when the Court Appeal rejected a stay order put forward by the cellular …
In Person — Budget 2004
Personal tax exemption threshold would be raised to Rs 300,000 from the current Rs 240,000 and the income slabs widened, with effect from …
Bonus Stocking
All pensioners are in for a New Year bonus, with a ten percent hike in pensions from January 1 2004, the Government announced in its budget on …
Adding Roofs — Budget 2004
The government is coming up with a series of housing loan packages targeted at different segments, to help spur a construction boom.The housing …
Bargain Basement — Budget 2004
Giving a leg up to the local tourist trade, the government plans to develop Maskeliya and Puttalam as a future hotspot for the travel trade.Finance …
Lazy Bums — Budget 2004
Sri Lanka Wednesday announced it was shedding 300,000 state-sector jobs and offered a generous severance package that will effectively pay employees …
Broker Bonanza — Budget 2004
Stockbrokers are sitting on a potential gold mine as a result of a new tax on equity trading proposed in the budget.rnrnrnrnrnrnNew Page 2rnrnrnrnrnA …
Golden Rule — Budget Comment
Sri Lankas 2004 budget is again breaking the lquote golden rule of budgeting, but its ambitious deficit target of 6.8 percent is more in line with …
Strong Rupee Policy
Finance Minister K N Choksy made the strongest statement yet that the government is committed to a strong rupee policy.ldblquote Sri Lankans have …
It Went Through — Budget 2004
A blocked nose and bad cold ridden throat could not keep away Finance Minister K N Choksy, adorned in a blue checkered tie, from walking down the …
Economic Charge — Budget 2004
A new tax called Economic Service Charge (ESC) of one percent over turnover or assets will come into effect next year, in an attempt to net in firms …