• Petitioners state that the reduction in taxes after President Rajapaksa took office as the main reason for the plight of the country’s economy today

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda   

A Fundamental Rights petition filed by three university academics over the current status of the economy was yesterday fixed for support by Supreme Court.   

Supreme Court three-judge-bench comprising Justices Vijith Malalgoda, Mahinda Samayawardena and Arjuna Obeysekera fixed the petition to be taken up for support on July 6.  

Dr. Athulasiri Kumara Samarakoon of the Open University of Sri Lanka and academics Soosaiappu Neavis Morais and Dr. Mahim Mendis filed this petition naming 39 individuals including Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, former Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundara, former Governors of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal and W.D. Lakshman and former Ministry of Finance Secretary S.R. Atygalle as respondents.  

The petitioners stated that the reduction in taxes after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took office as the main reason for the plight of the country’s economy today. They state that the President, together with the former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, have consistently and consciously decided to reduce the taxes payable by the citizenry of the Republic, for the sole purpose of delivering the election promises and this move was purely politically motivated.