Category: General Services

Apr.24 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to ask for more shipments of clothes, edible oils and fewer limits on country of rules origins on exports of key items to India, when both nations meet for trade talks tomorrow, officials said. Four days of trade talks between the two nations under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement […]

DHAKA, April 21, 2006 (AFP) – South Asian nations have agreed to include services in the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) in a bid to boost regional economic integration, a report said Friday.The decision came at a meeting of South Asian trade ministers in Dhaka that ended Thursday on the free trade pact which […]

DHAKA, Apr.20 (AFP) – The trade ministers of seven South Asian nations said Thursday they had “fruitful” discussions on barriers still impeding a planned regional free trade area.Fruitful discussions were held in a very cordial atmosphere; the implementation of the SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement) is now our prime task,” Bangladesh Trade Minister Altaf […]

Apr. 05 (LBO) – India has slapped a countervailing duty of between US$28-32 per metric tonne on vanaspati oil shipments from Sri Lanka, raising the stakes in a trade dispute that has been simmering for several months. -Mel Gunasekera: mel@ Imposed through the recent Indian budget, the levy comes at a crucial time, as both […]

Apr.03 (PTI) – The BBC today announced a re-broadcasting deal with Sri Lanka’s state-run radio and said it was looking for possible joint ventures for Hindi and Urdu service channels in India. Sri Lanka’s SLBC radio will re-broadcast nine hours of BBC programing under the new deal, BBC World Service business development manager Michel Lobelle […]

Apr. 03 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will take up thorny issues like shipments of pepper and vanaspati oil to India, when both sides meet for trade talks in Colombo this month, an official said Monday. Four days of trade talks between the two nations under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA are due to […]

Apr.03 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hemas Holdings Ltd Monday announced the appointment of Lalith de Mel as the group’s chairman. Husein Esufally will continue to lead as Chief Executive Officer of the family owned conglomerate. De Mel has served on the Hemas Board since 2003 and has been closely involved in its transformation as a […]

Mar. 27 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may impose a cess of up to 10 percent on imports to plug a loss in tax revenues, when import tariffs are lowered in April under the Indo-Lanka free trade deal.“Cesses will be used in the future to mitigate the negative impact of the increased preference for imports from […]

Mar 23 (LBO) – Sri Lanka passed controversial laws on Tuesday to tax imported movies, dramas, sitcoms and commercials, though tax rates and conditions have not yet been decided.The law makes way for a Teledrama, Film and Commercials levy on imports of all television stations as well as commercials made out of the country and […]

Mar 23 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will have to further relax import tariffs on goods like cement from April this year under its trade deal with India, with customs revenues taking a hit.Sri Lanka’s bilateral trade agreements with both India and Pakistan allow for a phasing out of tariffs over a eight year period, for […]

Mar. 19 (LBO) – A prominent parliamentarian representing the minority Tamil community had branded a controversial government decision to tax television programs imported for the entertainment of minority communities as discriminatory.“It is absurd and discriminatory,” said N Raviraj member for the Jaffna district representing the Tamil National Alliance. The government has decided to charge a […]

Mar. 19 (LBO) – A prominent parliamentarian representing the minority Tamil community had branded a controversial government decision to tax television programs imported for the entertainment of minority communities as discriminatory.“It is absurd and discriminatory,” said N Raviraj member for the Jaffna district representing the Tamil National Alliance. The government has decided to charge a […]