State Minister Siyambalapitiya mispresents regress as progress on casino taxes
[…] Effective April 1, 2023, we hope to impose a fee of USD 50 on every Sri Lankan who enters such a place of business of gaming. This law was in place since 2015. From 2015, the stated law was to charge USD 100 from a person, but not a cent has been charged yet over these eight years. We only commenced charging this amount this year. […] By starting with an entrance fee of USD 50 and increasing it to USD 200, we hope that… the participation of Sri Lankans will be greatly reduced.
Manthri.lk Watch | August 9, 2023
Posted on: 5 October, 2023
Partly True
MP Weerawansa makes spurious case against the IMF
The total export income has reduced by almost 10% this year when compared to last year. This is a huge reduction. Therefore, it is clear that the economic strategy the government is following under the guidance of the IMF is not providing a remedy to bring this patient named “the economy” - who is in the ICU - out into at least a normal ward.
Official Facebook Page of Wimal Weerawansa | April 3, 2023
Posted on: 4 May, 2023
False
Minister Premajayantha inefficient in claiming efficiency of IMF process
On previous occasions, we obtained money from the IMF after pledging to fulfil their conditions...this time round, we had to first fulfil those conditions to obtain assistance. It was only Sri Lanka that was able to obtain that support [IMF assistance] in 7 months.
Parliament YouTube channel | March 21, 2023
Posted on: 20 April, 2023
Blatantly False
President directs attention to low direct taxes
In other countries, most of the taxes are collected from a higher income bracket. In 2021, in India – 50% direct tax…Bangladesh – direct tax 32%...Nepal – direct 31%....69%. Indonesia – direct tax 40%...Vietnam – direct tax 31%...Thailand – direct taxes 37%...Malaysia – direct tax 66%...However the situation in our country is different. In 2021, our direct tax was 21% while indirect was 79%. We should take action to rectify this tax divergence. Then, the tax burden on the general public will be reduced.
The government’s policy statement from the President’s Media Division | February 8, 2023
Posted on: 17 February, 2023
True
MP De Silva on target on difficulty of IMF target
The government had reportedly agreed with the IMF to reach a primary account surplus of 2.3% of GDP by 2025. However, the primary account had dropped to around (6%) of GDP during the tenure of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa...It would be a monumental feat to bring the primary account to a surplus of 2.3% of GDP.
Daily FT | September 5, 2022
Posted on: 22 September, 2022
True
CBSL Governor suitably assesses suitability of EFF for Sri Lanka
An Extended Fund Facility (EFF) - which allows longer repayment periods - may be best suited to the country, it typically requires deeper structural reforms.
Daily News | April 19, 2022
Posted on: 16 June, 2022
True