UNP Chairman demands resignation of MPs proposing taxation of depositors

1 July 2023 12:00 am Views - 763

• MP Abeywardane requests for clarification from the opposition on the exact percentage of taxation 
• MP Abeywardane highlighted that the decision to establish the 9 percent EPF and ETF percentages for 2021, 2022, and 2023 was made during President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s tenure

United National Party (UNP) Chairman MP Wajira Abeywardane called for the resignation of Parliamentarians, who had proposed additional taxation on depositors.   Abeywardane stressed that such remarks made by the Opposition require clarification on the exact percentage of taxation - whether it should be set at 20 percent, 25 percent, or 40 percent.   Abeywardane called on the Opposition to express their views on the matter to the population of Sri Lanka.   

Failure to do so, he suggested, would warrant the resignation of these Opposition members. In such a scenario, Abeywardane proposed that the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Sagara Kariyawasam could appoint new members to fill the vacant positions.   

The UNP Chairman suggested that once the Opposition specifies the desired percentage, President Ranil Wickremesinghe could then urge the Cabinet to consider these proposed amendments. Abeywardane highlighted that the decision to establish the 9 percent Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) percentages for 2021, 2022, and 2023 was made during President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s tenure, with the consent of the Secretary to the Treasury and the Minister for Labour.   

However, some former government members, including Prof G.L. Peiris and Dulles Alahapperuma, have now voiced their opposition to this decision.   

Abeywardane asserted that if any adjustments are to be made to the EPF or ETF and if any discriminatory practices arise, a three-year security guarantee will be in place, aligning with the Central Bank’s policy.   
Accusing the Opposition of trying to undermine President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to rescue the country from bankruptcy, Abeywardane emphasized the necessity of comprehending the nation’s economic status. He urged for a national consensus on the economy, stressing that political agendas should not hinder the country’s economic progress.