Sri Lanka govt deceiving people on taxes: TI

Jan 01, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government should ensure greater public awareness of taxes it imposes on the people and not deceive them through lack of transparency, the local arm of an international watchdog has said. Provisions which create the deception that a government can raise money to spend without taxing the people should be removed.

Transparency International said there should also be an urgent requirement to publish changes in import taxes in the newspapers.

Thereafter, the current practice of raising import duties by gazette overnight, particularly on food items, without any debate in parliament must be removed.

The TI report called for a public information act – laws making it compulsory for government to reveal information to the people.

This would go a long way in reducing the existing inefficiencies in the market and help individuals, households and businesses make informed decisions in a transparent environment. Transparency International Sri Lanka, the local arm of the global civil society organization fighting against corruption, said the practice of â€˜tax by midnight gazette’ should be stopped forthwith.

This was a process where taxes on vari