No current MPs have requested for duty free vehicle permits – Acting Finance Minister

Acting Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe has emphasised that no Member of Parliament has requested the Ministry of Finance to grant duty-free vehicle permits, despite recent reports.

Speaking in Parliament this morning (22 Aug), Semasinghe stated that no MP of the current Parliament has submitted any sort of request to the Finance Ministry pertaining to the granting of duty-free vehicle licences or allowing for such imports.

Thus, he urged that such news be “published responsibly”, rather than haphazardly accusing certain officials.

“No member of Parliament has requested the Ministry of Finance to allow the import of duty-free vehicles. When publishing such news, it is very important to publish it responsibly rather than mentioning that it is a senior official of the Ministry of Finance” Semasinghe said in this regard.