Not paying tax arrears of Rs.8.5Bn: Five leading liquor manufacturers to face licence cancellation by Nov 30th

• Mendis and Co. Rs. 5.5Bn 
• Synergy Distilleries, Wayamba Distilleries, Finland Distilleries and Hingurana Distilleries around Rs.750Mn each    

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana  

Five leading liquor manufacturers including W. M. Mendis and Co. Limited will face imminent risk of losing its liquor production licence, if an accumulated tax arrears of Rs.8.5 billion is not settled by November 30th, the Daily Mirror learns.  

  The Department of Excise following instructions of the Treasury issued a fresh warning by early November reminding five large scale liquor producing plants in the country to settle their tax arrears by month end.   

Synergy Distilleries of Kalutara, Wayamba Distilleries of Kurunegala, Finland Distilleries, Hingurana Distilleries (Pvt) Ltd and W. M. Mendis and Co. Limited along with Randenigala Distilleries Lanka (Pvt) Ltd had been notified over a two years’ span for evading tax revenue to the government.   

Out of the six manufacturers Randenigala Distilleries Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. had recently settled the dues to the Excise Department and the remaining five producers had again been alerted by the authorities to pay the dues.   
A senior Excise official told the Daily Mirror out of the total arrears of Rs.8.5 billion W. M. Mendis and Co. owes the largest dues of Rs.5.5 billion to the Treasury.   

The licence to manufacture liquor will be suspended of the said companies if they failed to settle the dues by the end of the month and subsequent legal action would be taken against them, the official said.