Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stop the withdrawal of the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT) scheme, warning it would seriously harm Sri Lanka’s export-oriented industries.
Speaking during a meeting with IMF Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou and IMF Resident Representative Martha Woldemichael at his Colombo office, Premadasa said exporters are already struggling and removing SVAT without an alternative scheme will deal a severe blow to the sector.
He added that Sri Lanka urgently needs a focused, sustainable programme to reduce poverty, pointing out that nearly 50 percent of the population now live in poverty according to recent studies. While the IMF programme has boosted consumption, he said it has failed to address investment, savings, production, and exports.
Premadasa also stressed the need to protect small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), which he said have been severely impacted by the parate law and the absence of effective debt restructuring and relief measures.
The Opposition Leader urged the IMF to support a stronger, people-centred reform agenda that would ease the burden on ordinary citizens while safeguarding industries and employment.
The meeting was attended by MPs Harsha de Silva, Kabir Hashim, Eran Wickramaratne, Rishad Bathiudeen, Rauff Hakeem, Harshana Rajakaruna, and S. M. Marikkar representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Samagi Jana Sandhanaya. (Newswire)
