Public Finance Committee approves regulations under Import and Export (Control) Act

Regulations issued under the Import and Export (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969, as published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2437/04 dated on Thursday (June 19), and presented to Parliament on Tuesday (June 17), were referred to the Committee on Public Finance and was taken into discussion where approval for the regulations was thus granted.

Taking into consideration the current shortage of salt in the domestic market, these regulations allow the importation of raw salt that has not been iodized, as well as iodized edible salt (both powdered and crystal), for household and industrial use, the Parliamentary Communications Department said.

These matters were discussed during the meeting of the Committee on Public Finance held on 24th June 2025 in Parliament, chaired by (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, Member of Parliament.

Furthermore, extended discussions were held regarding prevailing issues related to vehicle imports. A group representing vehicle importers in Sri Lanka, including the Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA), participated in the discussion, the statement added.

During this session, attention was drawn to the taxes imposed on vehicles, including discussions on the proper collection of revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT) levied on unregistered and low-mileage vehicles, and the equity of such tax collections.

Officials of the relevant departments and Members of Parliament including Ravi Karunanayake, (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne, and Harshana Rajakaruna participated in the meeting, whilst Chithral Fernando, Attorney at Law joined via Zoom technology.