Tag: Sri Lanka
‘s
Nov 03, 2010 (LBO) – A 2011 budget that will broaden the tax base and cut tax holidays will help improve the outlook on Sri Lanka’s credit rating, but an contingent liabilities can undermine its credit, Moody’s Investors Services has said. Aninda Mitra, senior analyst and vice president of Moody’s Investors Services said the rating […]
Final Stretch
Nov 03, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government is scheduled to wrap up the purchase of liquefied petroleum gas distribution operations of Royal Dutch Shell for 63 million US dollars today, officials said. Another 24 million US dollars had been invested in building other infrastructure. Hiran Seneviratne, a spokesman for Shell said an agreement with […]
Gas Move
Nov 03, 2010 (LBO) – The state-run Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) will help operate a liquid petroleum gas business the government acquired after buying out a majority stake held by Shell, a statement said. The LPG business has been rebranded the ‘Lithro’ gas company, the government statement said. Gamini Senarath, chairman of Sri Lanka […]
Sri Lanka think tank warns against reliance on foreign loans
Nov 01, 2010 (LBO) – Depending too much on foreign borrowings to fuel growth in post-war Sri Lanka can be risky, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), a think tank, has warned in a new report. Its annual ‘Sri Lanka: State of the Economy’ report for 2010 is devoted to an assessment of the economic […]
Sri Lanka budget slightly behind target in August
Nov 01, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s budget performance for the first eight months of the year is broadly on track though a gap between revenues and current spending has overshot the the full year target, official data show. The revenue deficit in the budget which involves cash items such as salaries puts pressure on […]
Sri Lanka could gain 1.5-pct of GDP revenue by tightening tax holidays: IMF
Nov 01, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka can gain as much as 1.5 percent of gross domestic product in revenue by limiting tax holidays, and also cut tax rates if the base is broadened, an International Monetary Fund review has said. China had a standard rate of 17 percent and got 5.8 percent. Sri Lanka […]
Sri Lanka settles commercial bank overdrafts, Central Bank credit
Oct 29, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has settled high cost overdrafts from commercial banks and central bank credit taken to bridge the budget deficit with proceeds of a Euro bond which had contributed to excess reserves in the banking system, officials said. Record excess liquidity in the banking system which topped 80 billion rupees […]
Sri Lanka govt seeks more revenue from liquor, cigarettes
Oct 29, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is seeking to increase revenue for its cash-strapped Treasury by jacking up taxes on cigarettes and liquor, days ahead of the presentation of its annual budget, officials said. The tax on cigarettes has been raised by a rupee and that on a litre of 100 percent […]
Sri Lanka inflation accelerates to 6.6-pct in October
Oct 29, 2010 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo rose 6.6 percent in October from a year earlier, accelerating from 5.8 percent in September, the government’s statistics office said. It was the sixth straight monthly increase in inflation and was driven largely by price increases in food and beverages. During October prices […]
Sri Lanka economist says dissent is democratic
Oct 29, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan economist and opposition United National Party lawmaker Harsha De Silva has defended his criticism of government policy, saying efforts to tarnish critics were uncalled for. The newspaper said some of the recipients of the emailed note were “furious over the call for the elimination of so called ‘traitors’ […]
Australian rights agency says asylum centre must close
SYDNEY, October 29, 2010 (AFP) – Australia’s human rights agency Friday urged the government to stop locking up asylum seekers on remote Christmas Island, its main detention centre, saying it was overcrowded and inadequate. Thousands of boatpeople have been brought to the small Indian Ocean island this year, forcing some to sleep in tents and […]
‘s re-election
October 29, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court rejected Friday a challenge to the re-election of President Mahinda Rajapakse filed by his defeated — now jailed — opponent, former army chief Sarath Fonseka. The five-judge bench dismissed the petition after accepting a defence argument that there was insufficient grounds to proceed with the case, […]
