MaRa regime the deadly parasite on people devours further - steep tax hikes on Cars, Vans, trishaws, Motor bikes, cigarettes, liquor etc.

(Lanka-e-News-31.March.2012, 11.55PM) The MaRa regime in its utter desperation to bail itself following the acute economic problems it has plunged the country into due to its egregious economic bungling resulting from its monumental corruption and plundering of public funds , has with immediate effect from today raised the vehicle import taxes. Taxes on cars, Vans, Three wheelers and motor cycles have been increased. The Finance Ministry however says , these increases are not due to Govt.’s inadequacy of funds , but it is to curtail the import of vehicles to ease the vehicular traffic . It is to be noted that though there are enough rules and regulations to ease the traffic congestion in this country without raising taxes and burdening the people , those measures have not been resorted to.

Following these hikes , the poor man’s vehicles , Motor cycle and Trishaw prices will shoot up by 50% while small vans and small cars will shoot up by 100%.

The production tax of trishaws had been increased ruthlessly from 8 to 40% . while that of motor cycles has been raised from 24 to 51%. In other words the common man has been deliberately hit below the belt.

With the raising of the production tax ,the taxes on vehicles below 2000 c c capacity had shot up from 51% to 60% . The taxes on vehicles above 2000 c c capacity had increased from 75to 100 % ; the taxes on those with 3000 c c capacity and over have risen from 100 % to 125 %.

In addition , the production tax petrol cars with capacity below 1000 c c have been raised to 85 % , whereby the total taxes levied on a petrol car is as huge as 200%

On top of all these , the taxes on cigarettes and liquor have also been raised with immediate effect. Accordingly , the increased excise duty now is Rs. 50/- on a liter of imported beer , that of a liter of local beer is Rs.5/-, and that of a liter of strong liquor is Rs.60/-

In like manner the price of every variety of cigarette ahs been raised by one rupee ,and the production tax on them had also been increased. The Ministry of finance and policy formulation expects to increase its revenue by Rs. 3 billion following these hikes.

The increased vehicle levies are given hereunder….