Reply To:
Name - Reply Comment
Allow people to consume liquor if you want high tax revenue: MP
By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana
Colombo, October 22 (Daily Mirror)- The government should enable the people to consume liquor in order to meet the desired tax revenue targets, opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake told Parliament today.
“You cannot collect the desired tax revenue if people cannot afford to purchase liquor. This is why I have been lobbying for the price reduction of extra special arrack (Gal arrack). A bottle of extra special arrack costs more than Rs 4000 today. People will purchase and consume liquor if the price of a bottle is affordable. It is possible to sell a bottle of extra special arrack at Rs 2500,” he said.
The MP also said a group of five businessmen who happened to be associates of either the government or the trade minister had brought down containers of ponni Samba and Paal Samba even before the gazette was issued to allow importation of rice. “The containers have reached the Colombo Port from South India just a day after the gazette was issued. One will have to sell a kilo of Paal Samba at Rs 340 a kilo whereas a kilo of Ponni Samba will be sold at Rs 260. Other importers have not been allowed to purchase stocks of rice by these businessmen. It is not possible to purchase now as there is a long holiday in South India because of Deepawali,” he said.
Referring to the government's decision to increase import duty of potatoes is late as that taxation will not benefit the local growers. “Local growers will not benefit from the duty increase as most of their plantations have been destroyed by inclement weather conditions,” the MP said.
Comments - 11
Recommended
You May Also Like
Trending
