Category: Economy and Markets

Nov 11, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government has announced the dates on which new taxes imposed in the government budget for 2009 will become effective.The budget proposed to double the annual maximum ESC liability to 120 million rupees and also made big changes in income tax, widening the personal income tax slabs and […]

Nov 10, 2008 (LBO) – Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are most at risk of a credit downgrade in Asia by the rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P), amid global economic turmoil, a media report said. The island has been hit by withdrawing foreign hot money brought into bridge fiscal deficits. Okorotchenko was quote as […]

Nov 09, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s current economic framework has crippled domestic industry and protectionist taxes announced in the 2009 budget are contradictory and are aimed simply at raising revenue, the island’s main opposition has charged.The Mahinda Chinthana economic framework while paying lip service to domestic industry, is undermining its competitive strengths, opposition United […]

Nov 07, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan accountants say the proposed cut in Value Added Tax (VAT) in the government’s 2009 budget would not provide much relief as a new tax and higher import duties would make up for the reduction. The budget presented to parliament by President Mahinda Rajapaksa proposed to reduce VAT, the […]

Nov 06, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s economic growth is likely to fall to between 6.0 and 6.5 percent in 2008, the island’s central bank has said, downgrading a previous forecast of 6.5 to 7.0 percent amidst a global slowdown. In 2007 Sri Lanka’s economy expanded by 6.8 percent in 2007, according to the country’s […]

Sri Lanka has proposed sweeping levies on imported foods, and consumer durables, jacked up a turnover based levy on international trade, trimmed value added taxes and widened income tax slabs of workers in productive sectors. Personal income tax slabs had been widened with a 300,000 rupee tax free slab remaining. The next 400,000 rupee slab […]

Nov 06, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government would spend 360 billion for capital expenditure in 2009, and 200 billion for defence, the island’s president and finance minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told parliament. Of late politicians have been trying to put more emphasis on income taxes, instead of indirect taxes where their spending is also captured. […]

Nov 06, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka raised trade barriers and cut neutral value added taxes in its 2009 budget which is projected to have a deficit of 336 billion rupees or 6.5 percent of gross domestic product. Revenues were estimated at an optimistic 855 billion rupees, though the island failed to meet the original […]