Colombo (LNW): The number of recorded dengue cases in 2023 has exceeded 73,000, the Epidemiology Unit disclosed.
As of November 19, the total reported cases stand at 73,032, with the Colombo district contributing the highest number at 15,509.
The Western Province has the highest provincial count at 34,700, and the month of November alone has witnessed 4,539 new Dengue cases.
Health officials anticipate a further increase in dengue cases due to the ongoing rainy conditions.
In light of this, the public is strongly advised to maintain cleanliness in their surroundings and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites to prevent the spread of dengue.
Colombo (LNW): Dr. Palitha Mahipala, former Director General of Health Services, officially took on the role of Secretary to the Ministry of Health today (20).
He succeeds Janaka Sri Chandragupta, who retired from state service yesterday.
Dr. Mahipala previously served as the Additional Secretary of Health and Deputy Director of General Public Health Services.
He is qualified in the field of public health, health sector management, business administration and economic development, and is recognised as a prominent figure in the medical sector.
Dr. Mahipala is well known amongst the Sri Lankan LGBTQIA+ community for his groundbreaking intervention in 2016 for the introduction of the Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), which is the key component allowing people of transgender identities to legally change their gender in Sri Lanka.
Colombo (LNW): Macksons Tiles Lanka (Macktiles), Sri Lanka’s largest tile manufacturer, is positive about the Sri Lankan economy and believes this is the time to uplift local industries.
“We always believed that there is victory in adversity and this is the time we must show our commitment by doing our part to build the economy,” says Macktiles Lanka Chairman Milfer Makeen.
The company has already invested Rs. 16 billion for its expansion between 2020 and 2022, bringing new best-in-the-world technology to the country that’s on par with Italian and Spanish tile manufacturers and is now ready to launch aggressively into the export market.
The Chairman says, “It was our mission to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in tiles and the restriction of imports certainly allowed us to achieve this objective.
Compared to imported tiles, we are very much ahead in terms of quality and have a wider range which is far superior to the low-quality tiles that come into our market”.
The manufacturing capacity of Macktiles which was 6,000 square meters a day in 2013 was increased to 14,000 in 2017.
But after the 2020 expansion, the company has the capacity to produce a mammoth 44,000 square meters of tiles per day, making it the largest tile manufacturing facility in the country.
The company, which now has 40% share of the local market, is positioning to become an exporter of tiles.
The machinery we now use in our factories is state of the art and equal to what’s used by our international competitors in Italy and Spain.
Sri Lanka has the added advantage of having the best quality raw materials such as feldspar, ball clay, dolomite and Silica sand.
Our factories manufacture a range of tiles from high-end to general use without compromising quality.
For this reason, our products are attracting international buyers as well as Sri Lanka’s construction industry, including architectural and engineering communities.
The company sources 85% of its raw materials locally and has given a significant boost to raw material suppliers, some of whom are dedicated to supplying Macktiles, given the volumes the company demands.
“It would be fair to say we have empowered young entrepreneurs to join the raw material industry, and we have suppliers who source the highest quality materials exclusively for us.
In that sense, we have definitely revived the raw material industry which is indirectly contributing towards the economy.
In terms of direct contribution, with our drive to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in tiles, we as an industry were able to save approximately $ 150 million in annual foreign exchange outflows from the country,” the Chairman adds.
Colombo (LNW): Nearly 200,000 new tax payers have been registered in 2023 so far whilst the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) last week urged expeditious upgrade to the Revenue Administration Management Information System (RAMIS).
This and other recommendations figured when the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) was questioned in the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) whether the Government is properly receiving the Value Added Tax (VAT) paid by the public for various goods.
At present, about 13,000 institutions have registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) and the Inland Revenue Department officials said that they are investigating the payment of the relevant tax to the government by those institutions.
The committee pointed out that the institutions that collect VAT from the public should prepare a system to receive the taxes correctly to the Government.
The COPA Chairman asked the officials whether there is a possibility to take over and maintain the RAMIS computer system in the Inland Revenue Department itself.
However, the officials of the Inland Revenue Department informed the Committee that they cannot take over and maintain the system due to the lack of proper human resources.
It was revealed in the committee that 6 institutes have already been connected to the RAMIS computer system and the Department of the Registrar of Companies is still delayed in connecting to the RAMIS system due to some technical reason.
Accordingly, the committee recommended to the Department of the Registrar of Companies to immediately upgrade their system and connect with the RAMIS system.
A report on its progress was also directed to be forwarded to the committee before the first of January 2023.
The Chairman also instructed to provide a complete report on the tax levied under several classifications as well as a complete report on the arrears of Rs. 943 billion to be collected to the committee.
The COPA also asked the officials about the registration of new taxpayers. According to the officials, about 198,253 new taxpayers have been registered so far in 2023.
The Inland Revenue Department officials further commented that it has been identified that there are about 16 million citizens over the age of 18 and special programs are being implemented to include them in the tax payment process.
Colombo (LNW): Renowned international cricket fan group Barmy army battle for the trophy between cricket fans from Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the UK will be played in Galle.
The Barmy Army Fans World Cup 2023 is set to stage at the Galle International Stadium from 20 – 21 November 2023, in partnership with SriLankan Airlines.
As the principal partner of the Barmy Army Fans World Cup 2023, SriLankan Airlines was contributory to the decision to pick out Galle as the host city of the event, as an airline that continues to mobilize global interest in Sri Lanka as a trending destination for adventure and sport through significant international events.
The Barmy Army was founded during England’s 1994/95 Ashes tour of Australia. What started as a small group of 30 backpackers staying in hostels living their dream by watching the Ashes Down Under has now evolved into the world-famous supporters’ club that it is today.
With over 1.5 million social media followers and 40,000 members, the sole mission still remains the same – maximising the enjoyment of sport for all.
This year’s Fans World Cup is the epitome of that – it will draw close to 100 international participants to Galle including officials from Barmy Army and the UK’s travel trade who will compete as two separate teams representing the UK.
Each of the seven participating teams will be represented by 15 members and play two T10 fixtures on day one to establish group stage positions.
Day two will pack in the knockout stages and semifinals as the remaining teams vie for the big prize. The tournament will be live-streamed via Barmy Army’s social media channels.
SriLankan Airlines is set to create some additional excitement for the participants through fun activities on-ground including a social media contest in which one lucky winner will receive two return air tickets to travel between London and Colombo.
The participants’ overall experience is likely to live up to Barmy Army’s motto to have fun both on and off the pitch.
The coastal city of Galle is a world of its own. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Galle offers the perfect backdrop for a game of cricket for international cricket aficionados, with its fusion of history, myth and magic.
In between matches, the international cricket fan players will be drawn to discover the city’s charming, cobbled streets lined with colonial dwellings, churches and quirky little shops not forgetting its many cafes and ice cream parlours fortified by the grand, imposing 17th century Galle Fort.
SriLankan Airlines has been a driving force in promoting the island for adventure and sport tourism through an assortment of events in the spheres of surfing, cycling, mountain biking, golfing, and running over the years.
With each event, SriLankan Airlines has both successfully showcased Sri Lanka for its unparalleled beauty and warm culture as well as passed on the travel bug to tens of thousands of tourists to visit Sri Lanka.
Colombo (LNW): The government has targeted a 45 percent growth in revenue to Rs.4,127 billion, bulk of which is estimated to come from the VAT increase and of course the growth anticipated in the economy with the normalising of imports, finance ministry sources said.
Under the IMF programme finance ministry raised the corporate income tax, personal income tax and VAT and re-imposed taxes such as withholding tax and brought in new taxes such as Social Security Contribution Levy among other taxes to re-fill its coffers which went virtually empty.
The number of VAT (value-added tax) files registered is far below the actual figure denying substantial revenue collected from end consumers of goods.
He disclosed that only 13,000 files had been registered but the real number could be much higher.
State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said value-added tax (VAT) which will come into effect from January 2024, is only a short-term measure to boost Government revenue.
“VAT consolidation is a temporary measure taken in line with the IMF agreement to increase Government revenue,” he said.
In October, the Government announced that the VAT rate will increase from 15 to 18% with effect from 1 January 2024.
He also said that the VAT increase will not affect several sectors, including electricity tariffs.
Siyambalapitiya said that upon broadening the tax base, the Government could consider relief for the public.
As per the VAT Act, the Minister of Finance is empowered to revise the VAT rate by issuing a Gazette notification.
The Gazette Notification will be issued in due course. The VAT rate for Financial Serviceswill remain at 18%.
An amendment will be introduced to enable the Commissioner General of Inland Revenue (CGIR) to specify the format of the tax invoice.
Currently the VAT Act sets out the format of the Tax Invoice for VAT purposes but does not include a provision to allow the CGIR to specify the format.
Further, to the above proposal, the CGIR will be able to specify modifications to the Tax Invoice via notification.
The term ‘Taxable Period’ provided in the VAT Act will be defined to have the same Return filing frequency for all taxpayers. Clarification is required on whether the Return Filing requirement will be monthly or quarterly as per the revision proposed.
As per the VAT Act, currently there are two taxable periods i.e, one month for Registered Identified Purchaser (RIP) and registrants and three months for others.
Colombo (LNW): Certain individuals are reportedly working on submitting a motion to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, urging the establishment of a select committee to investigate the cricket crisis, a report by Daily Mirror said.
MP Dayasiri Jayasekera confirmed that approximately ten members have already endorsed the motion.
Supporters of the motion include members of Uttara Lanka Sahabaga led by MP Wimal Weerawansa and the political faction led by MP Dullas Alahapperuma.
MP Jayasekera dismissed the Opposition Leader’s suggestion that a select committee might be an attempt to conceal the issue, describing it as a “foolish idea.”
In response to these developments, Leader of the House Prasanna Ranatunga stated in Parliament that the government would welcome a select committee.
Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa in response said that such a move would be an attempt to sweep the issue under the carpet.
Colombo (LNW): A significant number of child-related crimes, estimated to be around 5000 annually, have been reported, disclosed Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (SDIG) in charge of the Western Province Deshabandu Tennakoon.
A notable portion of these crimes can be attributed to the influence of drugs and the misuse of mobile phones, Tennakoon pointed out.
The data indicates a consistent annual reporting of approximately 5000 child-related crimes in Sri Lanka.
The SDIG emphasised that drugs play a pivotal role in various crimes against children, including instances of sexual and physical abuse. Notably, mobile phones are increasingly being utilised as tools for child abuse, he added.
Despite efforts to mitigate child abuse cases, the prevalence of mobile phone use hampers progress, and parents, therefore, are urged to implement stricter controls within households to curtail child abuse in Sri Lanka, Tennakoon added.
Acknowledging the Western Province’s status as the most populous, the SDIG noted that the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara within the province contribute significantly to the high incidence of child-related crimes.
Additionally, he identified the consumption of drugs and alcohol as another influential factor contributing to child-related crimes in Sri Lanka.
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) indicates further appreciation against the US Dollar today (20) in comparison to last week’s Friday, as per leading commercial banks in the country.
At Peoples Bank, the buying price of the US Dollar has dropped to Rs. 321.92 from Rs. 322.41, and the selling price to Rs. 333.14 from Rs. 333.65
At Commercial Bank, the buying price of the US Dollar has dropped to Rs. 320.99 from Rs. 321.75, and the selling price remains unchanged at Rs. 332.
At Sampath Bank, the buying and selling prices of the US Dollar remain unchanged at Rs. 323 and Rs. 333, respectively.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva says the 2nd tranche of the IMF facility is anticipated in December’23: it’s now 18 months since Sri Lanka reached out to IMF, but has so far received only USD 333mn from the IMF and no loans from any bilateral development partners: in contrast, in the 18 months prior to reaching out to the IMF, SL received USD 4,950mn from bilateral development partners.
“Lawyers’ Collective” emphasizes that appointments by the President to superior courts in consultation with the Chief Justice & as approved by the Constitutional Council must be on merit & integrity, rather than merely on seniority: request a prompt response to recent allegations of abuse of judicial office against the President of the Court of Appeal by the Sports Minister.
Govt proposes removal of a host of VAT exemptions in accordance with the IMF dictates: items include books, magazines, journals & periodicals, fruit seeds, public library services, mobile phones, computers & accessories, construction activities, rice milling & milk processing machinery, hi-tech medical equipment, machinery for leather or bag industries, taxi meters, agricultural machinery & parts, items & spares for poultry industry, energy-saving bulbs, media equipment, motorcycles, raw materials for spectacles & frames, electrical goods, dairy & rice products, sugar, jewellery, software, and machinery & accessories for renewable energy generation.
Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) informed that nearly 200,000 new tax payers have been registered in 2023 so far: COPA also urges the expeditious upgrade to the Revenue Administration Management Information System (RAMIS).
Senior official from the Dept of Railways reveals that a staggering number of 45,000 train journeys were cancelled in the past 10 months and an average of 150 daily scheduled train journeys continue to face cancellations: the reasons said to be several issues within the Dept.
Treasury to insist that the incentive paid to Inland Revenue Dept officers should be paid only after they fulfill the Revenue targets set by Govt: move comes in the wake of IRD officials claiming up to Rs. 453mn as incentive payments due to them for collecting taxes: Treasury also directs the IRD to open 30,000 new tax files next year with a revised income target of Rs. 2,200 bn.
Govt has set up a unit to be known as the Office for Overseas SL Affairs under the Presidential Secretariat to attract the SL Diaspora to invest in the country on “favourable terms” to uplift the economy.
Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka, Katsuki Kotaro says there is a “marked improvement in the economy” since the crisis: analysts point out that SL is suffering from a “marked deterioration” of it’s macro-fundamentals with severe negative growth, acute loss of livelihoods, huge spike in unemployment, unbearable cost of living, and rapid increase in hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
Chanaka Perera, 29, the country’s top ranked Golfer, to represent Sri Lanka at the 122nd Amateur Golf Championship of India.
Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe says SL Cricket has informed the ICC that the Board of ICC will need to advice the Minister that the ICC would be compelled to suspend the SL Cricket board if an Interim Committee is appointed by the Minister.
