Sri Lanka graduates take aim for fresh tax grab

Sep 04, 2011 (LBO) - Graduates from Sri Lanka's state universities are taking aim for a fresh tax grab by getting lifetime salaries as state workers, having already received a 'free' tertiary education from peoples' tax money.





The Island newspaper said a group calling itself the Combined Association of University Graduates (CAUG) charged rulers of "cheating" them by giving "false promises of jobs" in the central province town on Kandy.

A regional co-ordinator of the association had said "early steps should be taken by the government to find employment to more than 40,000" the newspaper said.

At even 20,000 rupees a month, not counting any other benefits, giving free jobs to 40,000 persons would cost 12.

2 billion rupees a year in people's tax money.

Already more than half the taxes collected from the people are taken home by state workers as salaries and pensions.

In 2004 the state extracted 281 billion rupees from the people as taxes and 50.7 percent of the money or 142 billion was give as salaries and pensions to state workers.

By 2009 the state extracted 618 billion rupees from the people but state workers took home 356 billion rupees or 57.6 percent of taxes as salaries and pensions.

At the