Finance Ministry holds special meeting on new Customs Ordinance
A special meeting to gather views on a new Customs Ordinance as proposed by the budget 2016 was held under the patronage of Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday at the Finance Ministry.
Representatives of Customs Trade Unions, Civil Activists Organizations and Sri Lanka Bar Association participated in the meeting.
Minister Karunanayake said the motive behind introducing a new Customs Ordinance was to increase Customs revenue, thereby reducing the people’s tax burden.
“The total revenue of the Customs has increased to Rs.800 billion today from a total income of Rs.300 billion in the past.
The increase of revenue is a result of a clean government. We believe that the current revenue of the Customs could be increased further after the new Customs Ordinance is introduced,” the minister added.
Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga and, Venerable Thiniyawala Palitha Thera, Professor Sarath Wijesuriya, Saman Rathnapriya, Attorneyat-law J.C. Weliamuna, Customs Director General Chulananda Perera and several others participated in the discussion.
The views obtained for the preparation of the new Customs Draft Bill are to be put forward to the representatives of the trade unions and civil society organizations within the next two weeks. The meeting yesterday concluded after the participants agreed to hold another round of talks.