• Says those who were responsible for putting the country into an acute economic crisis were scot free

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera  

The proposed Social Security Contribution Levy would further burden the people as it would result in further increase of the Value Added Tax (VAT) to 20 percent, National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday.  

He told Parliament that the levy which was proposed in the interim budget was expected to charge a 2.5 percent tax on turnover in addition to the 15 percent VAT.  

The MP said the new Social Security Contribution Levy would be charged on turnover during import, export, production, distribution and sale resulting in the increase of 20 percent VAT in total.  

He said this is a repetitive tax as it would be applied in various stages of the same item.  

Mr. Dissanayake said those who were responsible for putting the country into an acute economic crisis were scot free whereas common man was further burdened by imposing new taxes.  

“No action has been taken against those responsible for putting the agricultural sector into total disarray by banning chemical fertilizer, paying compensation to a Chinese fertilizer shipment and paying a huge amount of money as demurrages to fuel shipments. The general public is continuously burdened instead,” he said.  
The MP said NPP as a party objected to the proposed levy.