MR Imported 43 Vehicles sans import duty
by Skandha Gunasekara-2016-05-20
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had imported 43 vehicles during the latter's tenure as the President without paying taxes Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake told Parliament yesterday.
Minister Karunanayake said the vehicles purchased during the tenure of the former President had not even been properly registered. "It was said the Presidential Secretariat had a fleet of 1,500 vehicles. After we came to power we could find only 220 of those vehicles.
There is no trace as to what happened to the rest of the vehicles," he said.
The minister said so responding to a comment by National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa who had said that the government, which spent Rs 600 million to purchase two vehicles for the Prime Minister, allocated only Rs 150 million for disaster relief.
The minister, refuting this allegation, said it was misleading and wrong. "The actual cost of the two vehicles was Rs 154 million. The balance of Rs 458 million is the tax payment, and this amount will go to the Treasury as tax revenue. The two vehicles that have been ordered are less costlier than the bullet-proof vehicles imported by former President Rajapaksa. MP Weerawansa, who sought the help of the Prime Minister to go on a foreign trip while having two passports in his possession, has no moral right to say things like this" he said.
The minister, refuting this allegation, said it was misleading and wrong. "The actual cost of the two vehicles was Rs 154 million. The balance of Rs 458 million is the tax payment, and this amount will go to the Treasury as tax revenue. The two vehicles that have been ordered are less costlier than the bullet-proof vehicles imported by former President Rajapaksa. MP Weerawansa, who sought the help of the Prime Minister to go on a foreign trip while having two passports in his possession, has no moral right to say things like this" he said.
The minister added that Interpol should question former President Rajapaksa and former Minister G. L. Peiris to reveal the information about their meeting with Udayanga Weeratunga. "The Bribery Commission also has a role to play in this connection. We have now given the commission more human resources and equipment which should be used in a more productive manner," he added.
He added that the present government has ensured financial discipline in all of its activities. He said many countries that did not support Sri Lanka financially over the past years, have now come forward to help us due to their confidence in the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government.
He added that the present government has ensured financial discipline in all of its activities. He said many countries that did not support Sri Lanka financially over the past years, have now come forward to help us due to their confidence in the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government.
Citing Japan as an example, the minister said Japan had recently agreed to provide USD 3500 million for development related expenses at a very low interest rate of 0.05 per cent. "Over the past 10 years, Japan has granted Sri Lanka only USD million 350. During the former government, Sri Lanka could only obtain commercial loans at higher interest rates from countries such as China. Now,as a policy, we have minimized the option of obtaining commercial loans," he added.
