JVP to protest against Govt’s latest economic policies

• Anura Kumara Dissanayake says unfair tax burden on people
• Says import restrictions on vehicles will not help combat rupee depreciation

By Nuwan Senarathne 

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday criticised the Government’s current economic policies, calling the taxes imposed unfair and exploitative. 

The party plans to march to Colombo on 23 October against the recent measures by the Government to impose a heavy tax burden on the people, party leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday.

“We cannot let the leaders of this country impose exploitative tax on the people. The time has come to stand against these policies and the leaders of the Government,” he said at a press conference.

The protest will be held with the participation of farmers and youth networks, Dissanayake revealed, adding that after 40 years of open market economic policies the road had come to a dead end. 

Dissanayake said the Government had failed to keep its promises which had led to the economic recession. 

“When they took office they said that Sri Lanka would be the next Singapore but the people are unable to fulfil their basic needs. This Government is following the same old UNP policies of selling public property to the private sector,” he added.

Dissanayake also pointed out that during the last four months the price of fuel had increased by 30%, and criticised the decision to increase train fares, claiming that fares had increased by over 35%.  

He said that despite the Government requesting the public to limit imports, the Prime Minister himself imported two vehicles worth more than Rs. 599 million. Dissanayake also declared that two vehicles of the same model had been imported for President Maithripala Sirisena as well.

“The Prime Minister is using a helicopter to attend parliamentary sessions, ministers travel abroad very often, some of them go on multiple foreign tours in a month,” he added. He also challenged Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to switch to an entry-level car to set a good example for the public. 

“If Minister Samaraweera thinks imposing import restrictions will defend the weakening currency he has to see a doctor to check his brain,” he said.

He went on to state that the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement had damaged local industries and the Economic Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) which is due to be signed would further hurt the economy.