Major tea export company in SL has been evading taxes: Govt. MP reveals

Punchi Friday, 09 September 2022 07:08 AM

We don’t need these Tax we Fund our expenditure by aid, credit lines and borrowings

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G Friday, 09 September 2022 07:26 AM

Good disclosure... but then, facts must be investigated and taxes collected without any loopholes

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Shiran Friday, 09 September 2022 07:28 AM

How about Politicians with private income? Start with you. Set an example by getting all MPs to declare their assets

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Citizen Friday, 09 September 2022 07:35 AM

How about the one making the statement? Have you disclosed even your assets?

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Human Wrongs Watch Friday, 09 September 2022 07:42 AM

Aragalaya must now look at the 3 fingers pointed towards them when one finger was pointed at the corrupt 226. Truth hurts but must do something at the root. Country has 69billion dollars of debt. Rajapakses are accused of 19b stacked up elsewhere. Where did the citizens of this country stack up the balance 50billion?

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kudson Friday, 09 September 2022 07:46 AM

how did i get so much wealth in such a short time hmmm i wonder also my friend gota,s wealth where did it come from should have asked him when greeting him with garlands at BIA

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horu panamen rakimu Friday, 09 September 2022 07:58 AM

what is the staggering discovery of senior officer earning 1.4 million per annum. its peanuts in comparison to loans taken by political thieves from so called state banks

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maha Friday, 09 September 2022 08:00 AM

Mr Minister, what has done by the relevant authorities collecting tax money ? Where is so called Unions ?

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Farook Friday, 09 September 2022 08:33 AM

What is the IRD for? The concerned officials should be brought to book for not performing their duties. They go after the small fries and hunt them down like rogues whilst let the big fish escape. Maybe they are under their payroll. Even the Finance Minister under whose purview comes the IRD is responsible.

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Rasindu Abe Friday, 09 September 2022 08:59 AM

The amounts mentioned are staggering, shocking. Portion of children potentially malnourished because government does not have revenue to provide them (school) meals, because of this tax evasion. Exporter evading taxes worth 300 million USD per year.  Exporter have to be taxed, as it's only their profits after all expenses (including wages) that get taxed, so no loss to the company if Inland Revenue Department go hard to get what's due. Collecting all taxes from big businesses is a dangerous activity, with more quick to happen corruption than terrorism, and these accountants can be insidious as drug peddlers when finding ways to evade paying taxes.

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Maharagma man Friday, 09 September 2022 09:17 AM

This is too much. Too much evasions. Probably every big business in our country does this. Maybe the government can publish greatest tax paying company in our country because those are businesses we should be fearless to frequent. We'd know those business are not thieving what they should be paying as taxes.

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Joker Friday, 09 September 2022 09:20 AM

His great idea for parliamentarian to open tax files will not be necessary as everyone over 18 years will need to be registered going forward.

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dot Friday, 09 September 2022 09:45 AM

How could the state run a comprehensive welfare state needed to give everyone a comfortable life style without direct taxes on income and export income not coming into the country but deposited elsewhere ?This was an eyeopener indeed !

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joshua Friday, 09 September 2022 09:52 AM

Mahindananda is one who brought the farmers to their knees and architect of the food shortages which we all suffered. He is talking big. Having tax files for 225 is one thing and still evading tax is another thing. We know who these politicians work. They stink

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Gunadasa. g Friday, 09 September 2022 10:03 AM

But this will not set you free of the offence committed along with Chinese ship load of rubbish. You ought to have disclosed the tax issue what you revealed now long ago. This will entail further problem for threatening and attempted bribery.

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Dilshan Perera Friday, 09 September 2022 10:36 AM

Very true and very good! Also perform a forensic audit on all 225 MPs.. starting with Aluthgamage..

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Dilshan Perera Friday, 09 September 2022 10:36 AM

Very true and very good! Also perform a forensic audit on all 225 MPs.. starting with Aluthgamage..

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Priyantha77 Friday, 09 September 2022 10:37 AM

Please do not blame export companies, as we have to protect them to sustain the economy.

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Patriot Sri Lankan Friday, 09 September 2022 10:39 AM

Blame inefficient government servants who do not pay any taxes , not export companies

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Concerned citizen Friday, 09 September 2022 10:40 AM

The government should arrest and put few owners of these large companies in jail for Tax Fraud and all other businesses will be lining up to pay their taxes ASAP !

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keshav Friday, 09 September 2022 10:49 AM

first open tax files for all the 225 and show proof of paying tax, before taxing the public who are paying for your luxury lifestyle

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tilak Friday, 09 September 2022 10:50 AM

if you have discovered, why don't you just name the Tea company and we only have about 4 supermarket chains, name and shame them

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Kandy Friday, 09 September 2022 11:00 AM

This is not the fault of any one but the Chartered Accountants who prepare their audited financials. If you look at 99% of the businesses, no one provides the actual turnovers. It's time CBSL

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Kabe Friday, 09 September 2022 11:03 AM

If he is genuine, we should praise him, if not put him into jail and find out how much he owns to the country.

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Inshi Friday, 09 September 2022 11:11 AM

Why has no one pointed this out long before? If everyone concerned did their duty diligently, our rich, blessed and beautiful country need not suffer.

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Mahesh Friday, 09 September 2022 11:11 AM

A guy who is responsible for importing dirt as organic fertilizer and loosing money talks bullshit. He is now trying to destroy other sectors that provides massive employment and reduce government burden.

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DM Friday, 09 September 2022 11:15 AM

That's your duty to make sure they pay the taxes due.

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Labby Friday, 09 September 2022 11:16 AM

Why disclose these now? Didn't he have knowledge of this while GR was President? Besides, he was the previous Minister of Agriculture, and he should have known what the plantation companies were doing. What a humbug!

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ravin Friday, 09 September 2022 11:23 AM

Why Fresh tax files for 225 only? Tax files must be opened from the day they were elected to any public office.

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Poor tax payers Friday, 09 September 2022 11:30 AM

Probably this country would have helped the Rajapakshas to win the last election.

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Aquarius Friday, 09 September 2022 12:26 PM

When the heat is on, they try to distance from the obvious. If allegations are genuine and there is evidence, have the courage to disclose the companies and the individuals. Otherwise, it's another cheap publicity to clean your own back****!

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Lawry Friday, 09 September 2022 12:45 PM

Isn't it tragic that the staff of inland revenue department who took salaries but did not do their jobs? The golden goose layed its eggs in the pockets of IRD and politicians? Or were inapt idiots working there?

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Punchi Friday, 09 September 2022 12:57 PM

Mrs Anderson of Royal primarily school narrated this story in class. A student at the college was stealing fish from the pond etc and taking it home. He graduated to major crimes and took the proceeds home. His mother kept thanking him and praising him. Eventually when he got caught the mother went to prison to see her son who blamed her for his predicament by allowing him to engage in crime. Similarly we all are to blame for our politicians and others rorting us. We allowed it to happen. Now that we are impacted we are blaming others

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VJ Friday, 09 September 2022 01:18 PM

Good question, what is the IRD really doing. Why have they not asked Rohitha Rajapakshe where he got the money to buy resorts? When we buy a vehicle, within two weeks we receive letters from the IRD asking us to explain the source of funds. This country cannot ever recover from the damage the leaders have done to date.

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Jimmy Friday, 09 September 2022 02:53 PM

And they want all those overseas to bail them out and hand feed them.

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Asvayage Katin Friday, 09 September 2022 04:02 PM

This is not the time to scold Mahindanada. This is what you call, from the horse's mouth. If it is true, the Finance Minister can can take a note of it, and put the house in order. Keep him in his place. May be he has reason to come clean. What you want is to clear the debt, then here is a way.

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sam Friday, 09 September 2022 04:10 PM

There are a lot of politicians doing all types of business who pay no taxes.

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Name and shame. Then get sued. Friday, 09 September 2022 06:18 PM

Talk is cheap, just name the company concerned. You might get sued for allegations that cannot be proved. These companies know how to minimise their tax ( to zero) through loopholes you create in parliament.

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Randula Jayamaha Friday, 09 September 2022 06:22 PM

Frustratingly this type of anti-societal behaviour is nowadays endemic in businesses. Those working in the field of preparing accounts for taxes are thoroughly in the routines to evade taxes to the utmost. All professionals working the in the field of preparing taxes should be re-educated by our Inland Revenue Department, but what is wrong for our society. Otherwise the attitude is to do what the client wants, which is to evade taxes so in the end business wins, general public and the government loses. Even Commerce for A level should have some material on ethics of paying taxes as due, and not finding weasel ways to evade by any means possible.

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Hoping to retire in few years Friday, 09 September 2022 09:48 PM

Everyone in office job should have tax file. Close the government worker loophole All government employees can't go on with paying no tax because much fraud happens on the side that way. To facilitate state workers paying tax, initially raise their pay by the exact amount taxed, so no loss to them, so no complaints. In future they can get further pay rises, but can be taxed inline with everyone else working private.

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Martin Milton Friday, 09 September 2022 09:52 PM

This is an excellent idea. For so many years the Tax Dept has been totally ineffectual in obtaining due taxes from all those who are supposed to pay Taxes. WHY?? High time now to change all that including any and ALL employees of the Taxation dept if need be. Has this President the guts to do that and correct all these tax deficits?? MM

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Thambi Friday, 09 September 2022 11:18 PM

Usd 300 million! Doesn't make any sense. That company revenue must be over a billion dollars. As far as we know, Sri Lanka total exports of tea is just 1 billion.

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Gamani Saturday, 10 September 2022 07:05 AM

If so, why didn't the governments did nothing so far to get the CEOs and the Maps and the bank staff jailed and tax recovered? Any other country would have done it. You guys were sent to the parliament to do this. It's your job. Aragalaya is a good thing. It opened the eyes of Ranil and now they are under pressure to take corrective action.

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A Corporate Professional Saturday, 10 September 2022 10:07 AM

Numbers totally wrong no? $ 300 Mn tax is at least $12,500 Mn revenue. If you run through published annual reports of super market entities, you would see the tax numbers clearly. Paying key management payments specially by banks coming under the scrutiny of so many regulators ensuring the fairness to all stakeholders including the government, shareholders, etc. Regarding the fact of evading taxes, larger companies can never easily do these with all corporate governance and reporting compliances in place plus their corporate values. Therefore, when the press is publishing something like these it's important to study details and put forward the specific matters more reliably. Thanks

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N Andhasena Sunday, 11 September 2022 04:59 AM

The biggest tax evaders are the politicians with all their ill-gotten wealth invested in real-estate and in offshore accounts. This man would be one of the biggest culprits together with the R clan.

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