RW gets stern on Public officers - ’Do not take goods, services on credit’

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a note to the Cabinet, has stressed that public officers should refrain from obtaining goods and services on credit basis, and any officer who violates this will be held personally responsible for such expenditure.

The President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, has said that the Government revenue at present (January 2023) is far below the monthly expenditure for the month of January 2023 and that the Government expenditure will have to be curtailed further and postponed until planned revenue to be raised on the recent tax revisions is realized.

As a result, the President noted that the General Treasury finds it challenging to meet all expenditures at this moment, except for payments for salaries, pensions, welfare, pharmaceuticals and debt servicing.

He noted that the General Treasury will formulate a priority criterion for this purpose. Until then, the release of imprest will be curtailed. Furthermore, the President pointed out that public officers should refrain from obtaining goods and services on credit basis, and any officer who violates this will be held personally responsible for such expenditure.