People’s movement inevitable against paying taxes: Handunnetti   

• Imposing various taxes had allowed tax fraudsters to evade paying taxes while the common man had been taxed unreasonably

By Ajith Siriwardana  

Claiming that the government was imposing tax upon tax putting more burden to the people, former Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnetti said yesterday people would soon rise against such unreasonable taxing and form a movement against paying taxes.  

He told a news conference of the National People’s Power (NPP) Economic Council that it was unreasonable to impose various taxes and that one tax policy should be adopted instead.  
He said imposing various taxes had allowed tax fraudsters to evade paying taxes while the common man had been taxed unreasonably.  

“Taxes imposed by the budgets on businessmen such as Casino tax and mansion tax were not really collected. They evade tax while the common man has to pay all the taxes. It is inevitable that people will organize themselves against paying taxes. It is reasonable as people cannot pay such huge amounts of taxes. Government cannot force to pay taxes,” he said.  
Mr. Handunnetti said people were usually expecting new taxes at the end of the year during the budget and added that the government was imposing more taxes this month when the budget was around the corner. “People will have to expect more taxes in next month’s budget as well,’ he said.  He said the NPP would organize seminars throughout the country to educate the people on the impact of various taxes and that under a NPP government they would adopt a one-tax policy.