Government sucking people’s blood to transfuse itself -UNP

(April 16, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Addressing a media conference at the UNP media unit today (16 Apr) , UNP M.P. Kabir Hashim said ,this Govt. is unique in that while world market prices are plummeting , this is the only Govt. which does not pass the benefits there-from to the people. Moreover , when all other Govts. are offering stimulus packages to their business sectors and devising reliefs to the people to beat the global economic recession , this SL Govt. has made use of this global recession to further burden the people with taxes , price hikes and levies., he lamented.

Comparing the prices of a host of essential commodities during the Sinhala period between last year and this year , he showed how the Govt. had raised all the goods without exception by surreptitious taxes and levies . The Govt. has not spared even dhal , salmon and milk foods consumed by the poor masses . The tax on dhal was Rs. 6.00 , Salmon was Rs. 25.00 and milkfood was Rs. 5.00 per kilo in 2007 -2008. This year ,the tax shot up to Rs. 20.00, Rs. 85.00 and Rs. 125.00 per kilo respectively. Though there is a scarcity of goods at reasonable prices , the Govt. and the Minister in charge Bandula Gunawardena have no scarcity when it comes to lying , he noted..

The Govt. is unable to reduce taxes or give relief to the people because it needs money to maintain its extravagant Jumbo Cabinet of 115 Ministers , run the white elephant Mihinair and pay loans borrowed by it at prohibitive interest rates due to its fiscal mismanagement. When it needs further funds over and above taxation it goes on borrowing from all and sundry or prints money which all contribute only to the economic disaster of the country . Already the Govt. is locally and internationally indebted to the tune of over many billions of dollars borrowed in desperation not for development or to build the economy , but to re pay existing loans. Consequently , the Govt. has driven itself into a debt trap . Finally , to re pay the loans and overcome its fiscal bungling , the Govt. pickpockets the people and makes them the scapegoat for its blunders.

The Govt. has proposed to further burden the people by raising the nation building tax from 1% to 3% . There are also a host of other burdens in the pipeline for the people which the Govt. is holding back until the up coming Provincial Council elections are over , he exhorted.

Therefore , he urged all not to be misled by the Govt.’s sophistry and promises which are only aimed at winning the elections.

-Sri Lanka Guardian