DO NOT TROUBLE TAXPAYERS PRESIDENT WARNS IR OFFICIALS
There are a considerable number of tax defaulters in the country, the reason for this is that even tax payers face many problems at present, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.
He added that Inland Revenue officers must be careful not to trouble tax payers when they collect their taxes and they should collect it like a ‘bee collects honey without squeezing the flower,’ said the President quoting an old adage.
New airports, sea ports, expressways and buildings had come up because the government thinks about the future of the country
Addressing a ceremony held at the Finance Ministry auditorium in connection with the release of the annual report of the Finance and Planning Ministry yesterday, President Raja- paksa pointed out that new airports, sea ports, express- ways and buildings had come up be- cause the government thinks about the future of the country and the future generations. The cooperation of the people in this exercise is extremely important to the government. The government is in the process of entering new markets for Sri Lankan products, signing free trade agreements with other countries and setting up trade zones. The private sector must be vigilant about these developments and be ready to take up the challenge in the new economic order when it arrives. The business community must also think about the country and bring in foreign revenue instead of depositing it in foreign banks which could be construed as an act to hurt the Sri Lankan economy, the President emphasized.