Govt.’s ‘cess pit budget’ taxes masses several times over -Ranil

(November 11, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) UNP and Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the fourth and last workshop to educate UNP Organisers and Provincial Councillors at Sri Kotha yesterday, (10 Nov) , said that this budget 2009 has been most appropriately described as the ‘ cess pit budget ’ for steeply increasing cess levy and other taxes recklessly and uncaringly burdening the people .

The Govt. in its eagerness to hoodwink the people has outrun its sureness and has taxed the masses several times over . He cited the flour import where a tax is imposed on the import, then a port , Vat and Nation building cesses are added, which means that this single import is taxed four times over. This is true of other imports too. The Govt. has been most careful not with giving relief , but with imposing taxes and burdening the people, he lamented The Govt. has been very cautious only with one thing – not to tax toilet paper . May be this is not to hurt its cesspit budget with which toilet paper is closely associated, he quipped. - Sri Lanka Guardian