Gazette issued relaxing import restrictions on several types of vehicles

August 15, 2023 at 1:38 PM

A Gazette notification has been issued relaxing restrictions on importing certain vehicles utilized for public transportation.

As per the Gazette, import restrictions have been relaxed for buses, lorries, tankers/ bowsers, and trucks. 

The Gazette notification has been issued by the Ministry of Finance. 

Earlier, commenting on the easing of import restrictions on certain vehicles, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said the imports of other vehicles will be further delayed.

The State Minister of Finance said that financial analysts say the imports of other vehicles will be further delayed considering the current foreign exchange reserves.

He added that the financial analysts also emphasized that the value of the dollar can rise again through the increase in vehicle imports.

The government imposed a ban on several items as a part of its prolonged stringent import restrictions from March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ban on imports continued due to the economic crisis until as recently as November last year after which the government took measures to relax import restrictions on several items in batches. (NewsWire)