No elections close by in Sri Lanka; regime imposes heavy taxes on food commodities to prevent bankruptcy

(June 23, 2010, Colombo - Lanka Polity) Sri Sri Lanka government today increased the price of wheat flour in local market by imposing a new tax of Rs. 10 per kilo.

Wheat flour is considered an essential commodity and the price is controlled.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka’s major flour retailer Prima increased price of a kilo of flour by Rs. 10.50. The price of a kilo of flour sold by Prima will be raised from Rs. 63 to Rs. 73.50. The price increase is valid since midnight today.

The other flour retailer Serendib will also increase price soon, sources say.

The price of the bakery products is also to go up since today.

The government also imposed a new tax of Rs. 5 per kilo of sugar as well.

Meanwhile, the major opposition United National Party (UNP) criticized government’s moves to increase prices of essential commodities citing the escalation of prices in world market as reason, but not giving the advantage of the price de-escalations in world market to the consumers.

The UNP spokesman MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the price of sugar went down in world market. But the government imposed a tax of Rs. 5 per kilo of sugar preventing the decrease of sugar price in local market.
Sri Lanka government recently increased the price of milk powder. Before that the LP gas price was also increased. Now the government repeatedly highlights that the fuel prices will not be raised. This is a tactic to avoid the rightful bringing down of prices to match the world market prices. The government is silently imposing taxes to keep the dropping prices up.

Mahinda Rajapaksa regime is afraid of nothing. No elections close by.


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New regulations to control misuse of polythene in Sri Lanka

(August 16, 2009 - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka government has made labeling compulsory for polythene products with effect from August 15.

All polythene product manufacturers should label their products with information such as license number of the Environment Protection Authority, registration number, name and address of the manufacturing company, thickness in microns, length and width of the product in millimeters and the product’s generic name.

Polythene production factories mushroomed in the island during the recent past. Before Sri Lanka imposed ban on less than 20 micron polythene in 2007, there were around less than 300 hundred factories. The number increased around ten fold after the ban as the polythene manufacturing became a cottage industry. According to the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), there are only a very few eco-friendly bag producing factories in the country.

Central Environmental Authority and the Consumer Affairs Authority are monitoring the polythene manufacturing and sales.Last year they raided and prosecuted nearly 30 factory owners last year, for selling polythene below 20 microns.