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 (19), and presented to Parliament on Tuesday (17), were referred to the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) 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 iodised, as well as iodised 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 24 June 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. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, and Harshana Rajakaruna participated in the meeting, whilst Atty. Chithral Fernando joined via Zoom.