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Penalty notices for errant traders
evading GST payment Around 700 business establishments will be served with ‘penalty notices’ by the Department of Inland Revenue this month for evading the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Deputy Commissioner (GST), Inland Revenue Department, P. Guruge disclosed yesterday. These errant traders will be made to pay the penalties with immediate effect and given seven days to furnish the returns, Mr. Guruge told ‘The Island’ Failure to comply will lead to legal action against them by the Department, he said. The Commissioner General Inland Revenue has jurisdiction under the GST Act to serve notices of penalty to non-complaints. Under the Provisions of the GST Act a penalty of up to Rs. 50,000 can be imposed on a trader. ‘As this is the first batch of non-complaints, we are serving notices under the new system and we are only going up to Rs. 15,000 per return, but the amount will be increased gradually in the next batches," he warned. He said that the Department will estimate the turnover of each trader/business and issue assessments for recovery to them. Approximately 15,000 traders have so far been registered under the GST scheme. According to him there are currently 10%-20% traders who have not submitted particulars of their returns. The lack of accurate information being provided by the Board of Investment and the Department of Customs was also posing difficulties to the Department of Inland Revenue in the collection of taxes, Mr. Guruge explained. He said that the government has raked in Rs. 30 billion from GST and BTT upto September 31,1998. The collections from GST, which came into effect in April this year, for the six month period ending September 31 was Rs. 15 billion while approximately Rs. 16.1 billion has been collected from the BTT from January to end September this year, he said. However the quantum of taxes was the same in comparison to the previous year. "We just made even," he noted. The Department was hopeful of keeping to the government target of Rs. 50 billion for the current year . "We have just three months to collect a further Rs. 20 billion, but we are optimistic that we will be able to reach the target by the end of December," he added. The Deputy Commissioner explained that the Department has already launched a number of schemes to achieve this target. "We plan to achieve this target with the help of two schemes, one of which is the penalisation of non complaints and the other is the field audits by our officers which have already commenced. Through the field visits we make an awareness of the scheme for those to whom it is still a novelty and also make checks on the errant traders. In this way they are also able to look into any short comings’, he noted. "We believe that when the errant traders are also made to make the payments with the issuing of penalties, we will be able to meet the target by this December," he said. He further revealed that in the collection of GST payments for the six months upto end September, Rs. 6.6 billion and Rs. 8.4 billion have been collected from domestic (local) and imports, respectively. The collections from imports on a nett figure after returns for the separate months have been, April- Rs. 1.4 billion, May - Rs. 1.3 billion, June- Rs.1.5 billion, July-Rs.1.5 billion, Aug- Rs.1.4 billion and Sep-Rs.1.2 billion. The collections for the six month period from domestic sales have been, April-Rs. 0.9 billion, May-Rs.1 billion, July-Rs.1.2 billion, Aug-Rs.2.3 billion and Sep-Rs.1.2 billion. The collection of GST payments monthly has been as follows; April- Rs.1.4 billion, May-Rs.2.3 billion, June-Rs.2.6 billion, July-Rs.2.7 billion, August-Rs.3.6 billion and September-Rs.2.4 billion. "The payments may not tally with those of the previous years from the BTT but there is a relative balance." Mr. Guruge observed. In the payments on a quarterly basis too there was a Rs. 3.7 billion average he pointed out. The Deputy Commissioner said that the Department was facing various difficulties in carrying out their duties due to a severe dearth of officers. "We are not able to adequately provide our services with the scarcity of the officers in the Department," he added. Budget results in rising COL says UNP Amidst moves to mount a major political campaign by the UNP against the government over its fifth budget, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe this week accused some of his colleagues of not pulling their weight for the party. "Just do your part," Wickremesinghe told last Monday’s decision making Working Committee meeting, the first since the presentation of the budget last Thursday [5]. A party spokesman said that the leader told the gathering that they [members] should not worry about who will be the ministers when the UNP comes to power again but instead do their part. "I will decide who the ministers should be ," Wickremesinghe was quoted as saying. Wickremesinghe had pointed out that those who are accusing him of "not moving fast" will have to put their act together as he was on the verge of mounting an aggressive political campaign against the ruling party. Wickremesinghe has indicated that those who accused him of "moving slow" were in fact were not doing enough at all. A few senior partymen were not present at this week’s meeting, sources said. Asked whether moves made by former general secretary Sirisena Cooray were discussed, sources replied in the negative. "Not at all," sources said revealing that this particular subject had not been discussed in the last two Working Committee meetings. The Working Committee has decided to direct the MPs and organisers to step up party activity in their respective areas. "Organising activity will have to be their priority," Working Committee sources told ‘The Island’ yesterday. At the end the Working Committee meeting, the parliamentary group was addressed by Messrs. Wickremesinghe, John Amaratunga, Rohitha Bogollagama and the former Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Austin Fernando. All of them had talked of the shortcomings of the budget, party sources said. "The Working Committee," sources said was of the view that the shortcomings in the budget should be exploited to the party’s advantage. Authoritative party officials said that the campaign for forthcoming polls will be based on the "irresponsible budget". The UNP believes that the government will go for Provincial Council poll first. "We believe PC polls will take place in March," sources said. The UNP will launch its campaign with a meeting in President’s stronghold Gampaha District next week. The leader will attend two major rallies at Negombo and Panadura on November 19 and December 7, respectively. Provincial level party set ups will continue the campaign, party sources said. Campaign will be based on the failure to provide for the growth of the agricultural sector, abortive attempt to do away with the US dollar 1,100 allowance for returning Sri Lankan workers [those who have been sent abroad by the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau] and refusal to pass onto consumers profits made in as a result of decline in the world oil market and several other issues. The UNP said that the increase of the National Security Levy [NSL] will also result in an all round price increase. Infact the NSL had been increased not by 1 percent instead 1 1/2 percent in view of the way NSL is calculated. Unlike the Goods and Services Tax [GST] the NSL will cover everything and there was no way the government can prevent an all round price increase. "Already the price of a kilo of sugar has gone up by 20 cents," sources said. However the government, the UNP said has failed to reduce the price of fuel despite over 100 percent drop in the world oil market. The price of a barrel had dropped to USD 11-12 from USD 23 , sources said. "The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation [CPC] was saving approximately four billion rupees," sources said. Although the UNP and some politicians including one or two within the ruling party had been critical of the budget, the National Chamber of Commerce [NCC] had said that the budget proposals were positive in the context of the stormy global economic climate and the situation prevalent in Sri Lanka. Water Board - German Embassy clarifies Reference to the news item that appeared in "The Island" of 20 October 1998 under the headline "NWSDB undecided on project, may lose funding loan" the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany wishes to catergorically state that there is no delay in implementing any projects by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board financed by the German Development Bank KFW und GTZ (German Agency for Technical Assistance). There is no question of losing German funds on account of any delay mentioned in the article. The German Government has not authorised Dietmar Doering to act as project mediator of any German funded project in Sri Lanka, as mentioned in the press report. IMF representative says budget unrealistic The IMF representative in Sri Lanka Anton Op De Beke, told the Foreign Correspondents Association (FCA) on Tuesday that over runs in the defence expenditure coupled with falling revenues affected Sri Lanka’s budget. While the defence spending may be beyond anyone’s control there is no excuse for not keeping to the other fiscal targets, Op De Beke said adding that revenue estimates for next year were also unrealistic. "The fiscal deficits coming down next year is based on lower defence expenditure. If it does, then it can be considered a bonus, but you can’t have it as the centrepiece to bring down the deficit," he said. He said the government hoped to raise 30 percent more revenue through the Goods and Services Tax next year but there was nothing to back up the expected revenue growth. (AFP) Wildlife Dept. trackers to get weapons The Ministry of Defence yesterday approved issuing weapons to the trackers of Department of Wildlife Conserv-ation, official sources said. They said that the trackers will be issued with ‘Magnem’ type guns. These weapons will be provided for the Department of Wildlife personnel for protection against poachers and wild animals. They will be given a special training to handle the weapons. According to sources, the Department of Wildlife Conserv-ation has been campaigning for weapons because their jobs have become increasingly dangerous. There are poachers, treasure hunters who are armed with sophisticated weapons roaming in the jungles and a tracker without a gun is a sitting duck, they said. Last year an employee of the department was killed by a wild elephant at Maduru-Oya. The elephant later died. Earlier too an employee was killed by a wild elephant. Dr. Nandana Atapattu of the Department of Wildlife Conservation said that he was not aware of the decision of the Ministry of Defence but added that he has a gun which is used to shoot tranquilizer darts. He also said that he was not in a position to comment on the issuance of weapons to Wildlife Conservation Department. Mt. Lavinia social worker passes away Mr. V. K. de S. Jayasuriya passed away at the age of 82. He was a prominent social worker in Mt. Lavinia. He was also a stalwart of the United National Party and associate of the late Mr. S. de S. Jayasinghe & late Mr. Lalith Athulathmudali from the time he entered politics in 1975. He is also the father of Sunil, formerly Co-ordinating Secretary, Sarath at Informatics and Upul, Organiser United National Party, Ratmalana, Director legal at Upali Group and Lanka Tractors. Cremation will be at the General Cemetery Mt. Lavinia on 12 November 1998 at 5.00 p.m. Cortege leaving residence 3/1, Sri Dharmapala Mawatha, Mt. Lavinia at 4.30 p.m. Trinco
refugees fast Post Refugee Camp at Uppuveli, Trincomalee have resorted to fasting campaign on a rotation basis commencing from yesterday (11) demanding that they be sent to Jaffna. Nearly 25 refugees carrying placards have commenced the fasting campaign. There are 508 refugees accommodated at the camp who were brought from Vavuniya and Mannar and kept at this camp for more than two weeks. As the ship services from Trincomalee to Jaffna have been suspended. They could not be sent to Jaffna and are stranded since then. Woman detained in Trinco after arrival from Jaffna The navy yesterday detained a woman who arrived in Trincomalee aboard an ICRC vessel, highly placed military authorities told The Island yesterday. A senior officer in Trincomalee said that the suspect was carrying a national identity card which has been tampered with. Asked whether she was involved in terrorist activity, the officer replied in the negative. "We have no evidence to link her with the LTTE," he said adding that the arrest was made because she was carrying a national identity card which has been tampered with. She had been among several Tamil civilians who had reached Trincomalee abroad ICRC vessel ‘Jawa Gulf’ yesterday morning. They were described as people who had been cleared by military authorities in Jaffna to seek medical treatment in Colombo. They had arrived in Trincomalee. The woman was detained when she was leaving the vessel. These passengers are transported overland to Colombo. The suspect had been handed over to police. Police were investigating whether the detained woman was a member of the LTTE on her way to Colombo on a destructive mission. [SF] At least six terrorists were killed and a dozen wounded in a limited operation conducted by troops at Paranthan on Tuesday , military sources said. Two soldiers were wounded during the confrontation. Two more terrorists were killed in a separate incident at Thimilamadam also in the Paranthan area. Northwest of Mankulam troops killed another terrorist on the same day. Navy operating off Chalai last Monday destroyed one Sea Tiger craft along with all occupants on board. Three other enemy craft were damaged during the confrontation. BoC staff to continue trade union action
as talks proved unfruitful Staff officers of Bank of Ceylon yesterday decided to continue their trade union action after talks held with the bank management failed to produce favourable results. Meanwhile staff officers of the People’s Bank have also given notice of trade union action to their management, a senior bank source told ‘The Island’ yesterday. The source said trouble is brewing in all state banks, with staff officer associations demanding the implementation of recommendations made by a committee that went into the restructuring of salaries in state banks. About 700 staff officers belonging to the Bank of Ceylon Staff Officers’ Association (BCSOA) launched trade union action yesterday but said they will conduct their campaign in a manner that will affect customer service to the minimum. Secretary of the Federation of Bank Officers of Sri Lanka, K. Narendrakumar, told ‘The Island’ that the People’s Bank Staff Officers’ Association is meeting on Thursday to plan a definite course of action. The staff officer associations of all four state banks are members of the federation, which has a total membership of about 1,600. Meanwhile, an independent officer at the Bank of Ceylon (BOC) told ‘The Island’ not all staff officers are participating in the protest. He explained that there are a number of them who are not members. The BCSOA as part of their protest will "adopt the practices prevailing in government departments", said Narendrakumar. This means staff officers would slow down their work, he explained. The union would also follow a programme of non-cooperation in respect of officers’ work, other than attending to a customer’s immediate needs. This includes boycotting all functions, events and seminars organised or involving the bank, not participating as bank representative at any government event or other function, not participating in disciplinary proceedings and not wearing a tie. Among the other forms of protest are not attending to work in order of priority but according to time of receipt and not getting involved in any project work. The dispute, which involves all four banks - namely the BOC, the Central Bank, the State Mortgage and Investment Bank, and the National Savings Bank - erupted over a delay in finalising the salary clause of a Collective Agreement pertaining to staff officers. According to Narendrakumar, President Chandrika Kumaratunga appointed a special committee to go into the restructuring of salary scales pertaining to staff officers. "The report of the committee was out in July," he said, "after that it was referred to the Secretary to the Treasury". "The secretary consequently indicated that he will review the recommendations of the committee again before making a final decision," said Narendrakumar. At a meeting held yesterday between union representatives and the board of the BOC - which included its chairperson, Mrs. Dayani de Silva - the unions were informed that the Secretary to the Treasury has asked the boards of the four banks to review the recommendations and present their reports to him within a month. Narendrakumar said that while appreciating the efforts made by the board, they oppose the "unnecessary" delays in the implementation of the committee’s recommendations. Sir Alan Walters Chief Guest at 54th
Annual Sessions of SLAAS Sir Alan Walters, Economic Advisor to the former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, will be the Chief Guest at the 54th Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), to be held in Colombo from December 14- 19. SLAAS President, Prof. A. D. V. de S. Indraratna, said that reputed scientists from the Netherlands, Bangladesh and India would be among the participants of the Annual Sessions to be inaugurated by Chief Justice, G. P. S. de Silva at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) on December. 14. The Guest of Honour at the inauguration will be Batty Weerakoon, Minister of Science and Technology. Prof. Indraratna said that "Globalization and South Asia: Retrospect and Prospect" would be the theme of the sessions. He said that a large number of university students are expected to be among the participants of the sessions. Prof. Indraratna told a press conference that the sessions would deal chiefly with the concept of globalization with regard to trade, investment, migration, environment, information technology, poverty and inequality. A panel discussion on the economic and social fallout of globalization in South Asia will also be held. The activities of the sessions include an international seminar to be inaugurated by the Governor of the Central Bank, A. S. Jayawardena, and technical sessions where research done during the year by SLAAS members would be presented. He said novel features of this year’s sessions would include a student and poster session where undergraduates would be granted an opportunity to present their research work and express their views on the theme of the sessions. Three exhibitions are planned with the objective of presenting the essential science information to the various sections of society for the purpose of practical use. These would include an industrial exhibition displaying the works of undergraduate and graduate students, a school exhibition displaying science exhibits of students and a book exhibition and sale. Among other activities of the sessions, the annual SLAAS awards would be presented to the winners of various quiz programmes and competitions. Prof. Indraratna also told the media that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has agreed to provide a grant of US$ 2,000 for ‘The Young Scientist of the Year’ award from next year. Though only members of the Association would participate in the technical sessions, the sectional addresses would be open to the public. A special student session would be held on December 18, while the Annual General Meeting will be held the following day at the Sri Jayawardenepura University. Social events of the sessions would include a cultural show and excursions for the delegates to Kandy and the Uda Walawe Wild Life Sanctuary. The proceedings of the sessions will be published by SLAAS. "Lankapak ‘98" is the 9th biennial Packaging Exhibition organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Packaging with the assistance of the National Packaging Centre. It will be held from November 12-15 at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre and will be inaugurated by Kingsley T. Wickremeratne, Minister of Internal and International Commerce and Food, at 10.00 a.m. It will be opened to the public free of charge from 10.30 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. on this day and from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. on November 13 to 15. A number of manufacturers of flexible and rigid packaging material, manufacturers of packaging machinery and users of packaging material from India, Singapore, Japan and Sri Lanka will be displaying their products at this exhibition. |
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