Amended VAT, NBT come into effect from today

The Value Added Tax (VAT) and the Nation Building Tax (NBT) which were passed in Parliament on October 26, 2016 will be implemented with effect from today (November 1).

Accordingly, the previous 11% VAT has been increased up to 15%. The threshold for registration for VAT on whole sale and retail trade is 12.5 million per quarter. It is Rs.50 million per year.

The VAT registration threshold for other supplies is Rs.3 million per quarter. It is Rs.12 million per year. VAT has been imposed on cigarettes, liquor, telephone services, electrical equipment, perfumes, jewelry and imported powdered milk. However, the prices of imported or locally manufactured powdered milk would not be increased due to the amended Value Added Tax.

However, VAT has been imposed on consultation fees of doctors and medical specialists (including channel services) and hospital room charges.However, VAT will not be applied to surgeries/diagnosis, medical tests, dialysis and outdoor patient services.

Under the VAT amendment, the existing 2% Nation Building Tax remains unchanged. However, the threshold of turnover for Nation Building Tax has been reduced to Rs.3 million from previous Rs.3.75 million.

The Nation Building Tax has been imposed on telephone and telecommunication services as well as on electricity. However, this will not affect the electricity bill.

Meanwhile, 82 goods and services that are exempted from VAT have been publicised.

Mawbima Newspaper editors Thushara & Upul Resigned

‘Mawbima’ editorial director Thushara Gunaratne and ‘Irida Mawbima’ editor Upul Joseph Fernando have both resigned from their positions.

They had a meeting with their staff this afternoon (31) and announced their resignations, and said they would shortly launch a major newspaper network.

Gunaratne said Ceylon Newspapers chairman Tiran Alles has agreed to a suggestion by him to appoint Benett Rupasinghe as the new editor of ‘Mawbima.’

Both Gunaratne and Fernando had been making plans for several weeks now to leave ‘Mawbima’ with several of its staffers.

However, Alles got to know about their plan and told them to tender their resignations and leave with dignity, reliable sources say.

In the coming days, several employees of its editorial, distribution and printing divisions are due to resign.

It has been reported that they would be joining a newspaper and media network to be formed by Arjun Aloysius, the son-in-law of former Central Bank governor Arjun Mahendran.

Sinhala Edition Click Here (Lanka Hot News)

Bonus for Port Authority Workers

Sri Lanka Port Authority has decided to grant bonus premium without any changes to all the Port workers in December 2016. SLPA stated that this decision was made in the monthly progress meeting based on the advice of Hon. Minister of Ports and Shipping Arjuna Ranatunga.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority pays its bonus in two premiums, in April and December. Accordingly, a single worker was paid Rs.30,088.00 in 2015 as a one premium. SLPA paid Rs.25,943.00 for a single worker as the April premium of this year. 

There by the balance amount of money relating to the premium paid as a special bonus for all the workers. However, SLPA stated that the December premium of this year won’t be subjected to any changes. Sri Lanka Ports Authority has announced that the amount of bonus paid in the last year as the December premium Rs.30,088.00 will be paid in this year as well. Hon. Minister of Ports and Shipping Arjuna Ranatunga stated that these decisions were made to appreciate the performance of the Port workers in this year.       

Bonus for SLPA workers are based on the profit of Sri Lanka Ports Authority. There by in the progress meeting of the SLPA was probed up to this season. At this meeting officials of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority emphasized that productivity of Port Workers have been enhanced to a good extent. Considering these facts Minister of Ports and Shipping Arjuna Ranatunga advised to pay the Bonus premium for December similarly to the last year, 2015.

 “In this meeting we identified that Trincomalee harbour has been earning profits for the first time in the recent period of time. We recognized that annual profit of the Galle Port has been doubled. We have been enhanced the productivity of the Colombo Port also able to solve the conflicts of the workers to a great extent which occurred in the recent period and we have provided the required facilities to all port workers. All the stake holders of this institution have understood the impact of the contempt on this institution and the loss due to the activities of few trade union leaders. Today our workers have been dedicated to work. Industrial peace has been conquered the sites, owing to that productivity has increased. 

Therefore, by taking all these facts in to consideration Director Board led by the Chairman of SLPA recommended to pay the bonus similar to the last year. But conflicts in the Sri Lanka Ports Authority haven’t been solved. Especially Colombo Port contributes in large scale to pay debt regarding Hambantota Port. Workers are carrying out operations with old equipment. They are facing many difficulties. During the last decade there hasn’t been any investment on these and new equipments have not been purchased. Even at these conditions we decided to pay the bonus because of the commitment and the performance by the workers”, said Hon. Minister Arujuna Ranatunga.

Heavy showers after 2.00 p.m. today

The Meteorological Department yesterday warned of a high possibility of heavy showers or thundershowers in most parts of the country after 2.00 p.m today.

Heavy rains (more than 100 mm) could be expected at some places particularly, in the Uva, Central and Eastern provinces. Showers would also occur along the coastal area in the morning too, and misty conditions could be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Southern provinces during the morning, the Department said.

It said there may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity".

The Department in its forecast for the next 36 hours said: "The deep depression in the Central Bay of Bengal has developed in to a Cyclonic storm ‘Kyant’ and now located about 1400 km to the northeast of Sri Lanka. There is no direct effect on Sri Lanka.

Kosgoda Albino turtle’s body parts found in well

A special team from the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) has been able to find the missing body parts of an albino turtle, which was reportedly gone missing in December 2013 from the Kosgoda Turtle Conservation Centre. 

The body parts were found inside a dilapidated well in the Dikwella area on October 29, the Police said. The Police was tipped off by one of the suspects, who had been arrested. The suspect had confessed to the Police that after stealing the albino turtle, it was shown to a provincial politician.

He also had said that after that it was placed in a cage and hidden in the sea in the Dikwella area, with the help of a diver.

However, the death of the albino turtle occurred due to it not receiving proper living conditions. But the politician did not believe it and ordered them to show him the dead body of the turtle. Therefore, after showing him the dead body, it was dumped into a dilapidated well in the area, the investigations revealed.

The diver who helped to place the turtle's cage in the sea was arrested and was expected to be produced in the Balapitiya Magistrate's Court. Investigations have been launched to arrest the provincial politician. However, he is said to be missing from the area.

Upeksha Swarnamali says no more politics

Former Gampaha District MP Upeksha Swarnamali, better known by her screen name Paba, yesterday said that she had been invited by both main parties to attend political rallies, but she had rejected all of them as she was no longer interested in politics.

"I am disgusted with the prevailing situation and have only one wish that is to be with my family and engage in artistic pursuits," she told yesterday.

Swarnamali was elected as an MP in the 2010 General Elections held on 8 April 2010 from the UNP ticket. At August 17, 2015 elections she contested on the UPFA ticket as the electoral organiser of Divulapitiya but obtained only 22,690 preferential votes and could not enter Parliament.

Police arrest two Members of 'Aava' gang in Jaffna

Sri Lanka Police have arrested two suspected members of the 'Aava' sword gang in Jaffna earlier yesterday.

The Jaffna Police said two people suspected to be the members of sword carrying 'Aava' gang were arrested while they were traveling on a motorcycle along a by-road in Jaffna. Two swords in their possession were also seized, the police said.

The suspects have claimed the swords were used for practices of a drama but the Police say swords were larger and not the 'prop' kind used for dramas.

The police say the swords were quite similar to the ones discovered in several locations in Jaffna in searches during the last week.

The Jaffna police are on alert after two police detectives were attacked last week with swords in Chunnakam by sword wielding masked individuals on motorcycles.

The 'Aava' gang claimed responsibility to the assault on two policemen saying that they attacked the policemen to avenge the death of two Jaffna University students on October 21.

Sinhala Edition Click Here (Lanka Hot News)

SriLankan flies to 11 new destinations

SriLankan Airline announced today that it will operate direct flights from Colombo to 11 new destinations such as Lahore, Jakarta, Dhaka, Muscat, Kolkata, Madurai, Varanasi and Bodh Gaya in India, Bahrain, Seychelles and Gan in Maldives.

Full Statement

Colombo, October 30, 2016: SriLankan Airlines is pleased to announce the launching of 11 new destinations focussing on the Asia-Middle East region, one of the fastest growing travel markets in the world. The launching of the new destinations reflects the airline’s further commitment in strengthening its presence in the region and beyond.

SriLankan will operate direct flights from Colombo to 11 new destinations namely Lahore, Pakistan, Jakarta, Indonesia, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Muscat, Oman, Kolkata, Madurai, Varanasi & Bodh Gaya India, Bahrain, Seychelles and Gan, Maldives.

Commenting on the network expansion, Ajith Dias, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, said: “We have realigned our strategic focus to Asia, from the Middle East to the Far East, as we see excellent opportunities in this high-growth region. We are confident that the linking of so many Asian cities will produce a travel network which will be extremely convenient for our passengers and profitable for the airline.”

The Asia-Middle East region generated 923,338 visitors to Sri Lanka of the total 1,798,380 visitors in 2015, according to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority statistics. The 11 new destinations include routes which generate business travelers, leisure travelers, labour traffic, pilgrim traffic and passengers in transit to and from SriLankan’s global route network.

Captain Suren Ratwatte, CEO of SriLankan Airlines, said: “Travelers throughout the Asia-Middle East region will now be able to enjoy the superb levels of service on SriLankan Airlines. We have modernized our product with brand new A330-300 aircraft which have already been added to our fleet, and will soon be joined by new A320neo and A321neo aircraft. So we treat our passengers to comfortable seating, state of the art entertainment systems, excellent in-flight cuisine, and flight attendants famed for their warmth and caring.”

The addition of Kolkata, Madurai, Bodh Gaya and Varanasi will make SriLankan Airlines the foreign airline with the largest network in India, one of the world’s largest travel markets, covering 11 cities with 106 flights per week, increasing from its present 88 flights to seven cities.

Sri Lanka’s award-winning carrier was just named “Best Full Service Airline in Central and South Asia” at the Future Travel Experience Asia Awards 2016 in Singapore for the second consecutive year.

SriLankan, which has for many years been the largest airline operation to the Maldives through its flights to the capital, Male, will become the only airline operating to Gan island in the southern part of the island chain.

Services to the Pakistani city of Lahore commenced on 27th September with a thrice-weekly frequency; while on 30th October services will be launched to Jakarta (4 flights), Dhaka (daily), Madurai (daily), Muscat (5 flights) and Kolkata (3 flights), and on the following day (31st October) to Bahrain (5 flights), Seychelles (4 flights), Varanasi (2 flights) and Bodh Gaya. Gan Island (4 flights) in the Maldives will join SriLankan’s network on 1st December, bringing the total number of destinations to 102 in 47 countries.

SriLankan Airlines is a member of the prestigious oneworld global airline alliance which connects over a thousand cities in 160 countries around the world.

For more information and special offers please log into www.srilankan.com

Corporate Communications

SriLankan Airline