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Ranil justifies tax hikes amidst criticism_我的网站

一 |     Colombo, Oct 20 (UNI) Amid growing criticism, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has justified a hike in income tax for both corporates and individuals, saying it was for the greater good of the country and critical to garner much needed financial support from the international community.
In an address to the nation, the President said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with which the government has signed a Staff Level Agreement for a $2.9 billion four-year financial support, advised the need for a surplus in Sri Lanka’s primary budget, the Daily FT reported on Thursday.
“It was agreed to since the country needs the support of the IMF,” he was quoted him as saying.
“It was also decided to increase the country’s income from 8.5 per cent to 14.5 per cent of the GDP. However, it is a difficult task to accomplish immediately, it is envisaged to achieve this by 2026.
"Initially, a decision had to be taken on the manner in which the income is to be increased. Money was printed due to the decrease in income. During the past two years, Rs. 2,300 billion has been printed, resulting in inflation rising to 70-75 per cent and even more in respect of food inflation," he said.
Wickremesinghe said these increases need to be controlled, while securing income. Therefore, during the discussions with the IMF a new tax system was proposed. The IMF informed that even the export industries would be required to pay taxes.
The IMF pointed out that in countries with an export economy, the related industries were liable for tax. The IMF also upheld that Sri Lanka’s primary export economy is based on the plantation industry.
During British rule, taxes were charged from every plantation sector, including tea, coconut and rubber. Therefore, if the country has to move towards that goal, taxes will have to be paid. The export sector has now questioned this aspect and the related concerns are to be submitted to the IMF.
Referring to the issue of higher personal income taxation, the President said the majority of tax revenue was through indirect taxation. The majority of the country’s citizens, even those below the poverty line, had no choice but to pay indirect taxes, the President said.
The direct tax revenue was 20 per cent and 80 per cent has been derived from indirect taxes.
The IMF had reservations in this regard and said the amount of tax obtained through direct taxes should exceed 20 per cent. The IMF noted that otherwise this would not be successful and ordinary citizens would need to pay taxes, the President said.
Therefore, the Treasury and the IMF discussed the possibility of limiting the taxation from those who have an income of Rs. 200,000, which did not materialise. Eventually, this resulted in the decision to levy income tax on people earning over 100,000. This has become a vital concern amongst citizens.
But without this tax system, the desired goal will not be achieved. The agreed goal is to achieve 14.5-15 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) revenue by 2026, Wickremesinghe said.
If Sri Lanka withdraws from this programme, IMF assistance will not be received. Without IMF certification, the support of institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the countries that have supported financially will not be forthcoming. Then, Sri Lanka will be back to the era of queues, he warned.
In his address, Wickremesinghe also said the Government was ready to implement prudent economic management after successful debt restructuring.
He noted that it was not possible to strengthen the economy without increasing the revenue of the country, which will compel him to reluctantly make tough decisions in order to rebuild the nation.
The President pointed out how in November 2019, the country’s taxes were drastically reduced, reducing the government revenue to 8.5 per cent. This was when the IMF set aside the agreements with Colombo and declared that it was unable to provide the agreed assistance.
"That year the government lost approximately Rs. 600-700 billion as revenue. Simultaneously, the country had to face the Covid-19 pandemic. These issues are the main factors that led to the collapse of Sri Lanka’s economy.
"The country at this juncture is facing a difficult period. Expectedly tough decisions have to be taken during these difficult times. I undertook this challenge when no one else was willing to come forward."
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三 |     这套机制彻底扭转林地运营困局，政府不用再单方面持续投入养护资金，还能稳定收回成本、共享经营红利，社会资本也减轻大额土地租金压力，实现双向减负。    客流就业双丰收     打造都市年轻人专属解压空间     项目自2025年8月开业仅10个月，累计接待游客14.06万人次，2026年“五一”假期，接待游客1.3 万人次。线上平台长期稳居上海儿童户外乐园销量榜首，先后承办市级亲子活动、青年人才交流等20余场大型社会活动，成为长三角热门森林打卡点。    项目在本地注册文旅企业，产生稳定税收。常年固定提供21个全职岗位，节假日高峰期日均新增50个灵活兼职，吸纳周边居民就近就业。         项目发展启示     城市大规模林地普遍存在“只养护、无营收”痛点，本例给出可参考的林下经济实施样本：采用轻量化户外业态，全程遵循无痕生态标准，不破坏林地环境；创新“阶梯分红”利益模式，同步减轻政府财政负担与企业土地投入压力，精准匹配都市青年、亲子休闲需求，把生态流量转化为可持续收益。    素材来源：@上海林业返回，查看更多。

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Published on:08:57:30