MR following ‘Re Daniel Dawal Migel’ on VAT: Hadunnetti

• The Govt. had not revealed the mechanism through which the new VAT  increase would be effective  

By Ajith Siriwardana   

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has shown its double standards where SLPP leader former president Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that the SLPP is against the tax policy after voting in Parliament to pass the VAT increase, former JVP MP Sunil Hadunnetti said yesterday.   

He told a news conference that if the SLPP had not voted in favour, the VAT increase would not have been possible.   

“Mahinda Rajapaksa is acting like ‘Re Daniel Dawal Migel’ now. The SLPP that voted to pass the VAT increase in parliament is now claiming that they are against the tax policy.  

President Ranil Wickremesinghe alone cannot pass the VAT Bill. He has only one MP in parliament. VAT was increased together with the SLPP MPs,” he said.   

Responding to a question on the letter issued by Mahinda Rajapaksa on tax policy, Hadunnetti said letters could not reduce the VAT and that the SLPP voted to pass the VAT Bill in Parliament. “Mahinda Rajapaksa must clearly say whether he is acting on behalf of the people or President Ranil Wickremesinghe.”   

He said the government had not revealed the mechanism through which the new VAT increase would be effective and that neither the Inland Revenue Department nor the tax payers or business entities who are the tax payers have been educated on the VAT collecting mechanism.