Attorney suggests Govt. should import VIP vehicles and earn profit

Attorney-at-Law Nishan Premathiratne says the Government should go ahead with the import of vehicles for the MPs at a cost of Rs. 2.5 billion and sell them easily with a profit of Rs. 5 billion.

He opined that the 227 vehicles earmarked for the Members of Parliament would cost Rs. 12 million each at duty-free level and resell for over Rs. 20 million each.

“Easily these vehicles could actually be sold for over Rs. 40 million per vehicle in the present market, giving the Treasury a direct profit over Rs. 7.5 billion and at over Rs. 20 million each it will be over Rs. 2.5 billion,” argued Premathiratne.

He also opined that the vehicles are earmarked as V6 diesel automatic SUVs and that all the MPs both in the Government and Opposition must agree to this move in the interest of the country. He said there is demand for vehicles in the open market following restrictions placed in a bid to curb the outflow of scarce foreign exchange. 

Premathiratne was making a case after Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa early this week decided to scrap the special import arrangement for MPs citing timing wasn’t right given the COVID pandemic and the need to preserve foreign exchange earnings.