Sri Lanka’s Opposition has organised a pre-budget briefing involving opposition lawmakers, academics and economic experts to review the country’s economic situation and the government’s policies ahead of the presentation of the 2027 National Budget.

The workshop, attended by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, focused on the government’s economic performance, implementation of previous budget proposals, taxation, poverty levels and Sri Lanka’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Addressing the gathering, Premadasa accused the government of concealing accurate economic data and presenting misleading figures to justify its policies.

He also criticised the government’s handling of the IMF agreement, claiming that the administration had imposed a heavier tax burden than required while failing to provide adequate relief to the public.

The Opposition Leader called for a revised IMF agreement that prioritises the welfare of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people and questioned the effectiveness of the Aswesuma welfare programme.

Meanwhile, the Opposition also launched a new website, oversight.lk, on November 11 to monitor the government’s budget commitments and performance.

According to the Opposition, the platform will provide information on the implementation of previous budget proposals, ministry performance, government revenue and expenditure, and audit findings relating to state institutions.

The initiative comes ahead of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s presentation of the government’s third national budget in his capacity as Finance Minister. (Newswire)