JVP accuses Govt. of burdening people with taxes

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna said the Unity Government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was no different from the previous Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa and was making the country indebted and burdening the people with taxes.

“The Maithri-Ranil Government is not second to Rajapaksa regime in making the country indebted and burdening the people with taxes and the debt the country has to pay,” the Information Secretary of the JVP MP Vijitha Herath said.

He said it is time to sweep aside the old economic model and bring in a new economic model.

Herath said the Government did not give any relief to the people for the New Year.

“The partners of Yahapalana Government who boasted that they were economic experts increased VAT to 15% and threw the people from the pan to the hearth, the people had to borrow from everywhere to fulfil New Year traditions,” he said, adding that the 15% VAT was the New Year present people received from the Government.

Herath said the tax for profits of the share market was increased by 0.3%. “Many who receive a pension invested their money in the share market to make their ends meet. They too have been affected due to the new tax.”

Increasing the VAT to 15% would affect both goods and services, he pointed out. “This would have a dire influence on the economy. VAT increase would affect the health sector as well. People will have to pay more for their medicines. This would be the pattern for everything. This is indeed a shot under the belt.”

The MP further said that the Government was attempting to get a loan of $1.5 billion from the IMF without settling the loans taken before and the country would be trapped in another debt trap.

“On one side is the burden of debt for the people and on the other is the burden of increased tax. People have been dragged from the pan to the hearth,” said the JVP Information Secretary. (Colombopage)