CENTRAL BANK: FIXING THE FIGURES?

Written by Aston Peters

26 Jun, 2018 | 4:42 pm

Written by Aston Peters 26 Jun, 2018 | 4:42 pm

Public interest activist the JVP’s Wasantha Samarasinghe has revealed an apparent attempt by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to fix the national GDP growth figures.

Samarasinghe who appeared on TV1’s Newline programme said that the Central Bank website shows clearly how the figures have been changed to manipulate a better growth figure. Samarasinghe expressed dismay that the Central Bank had changed historical data – as in figures from previous years.

Although the Central Bank maintains that the growth rate of GDP values is 3.2% the reality is different.

The factual position is that the real growth rate of GDP values for the 2018 1st quarter is 2.7% – based on figures the Central Bank published previously.

2,015			2,016			2,017
2017 First Quarter Document	2018 First Quarter Document	Adjusted amounts	2017 First Quarter Document	2018 First Quarter Document	Adjusted amounts	2017 First Quarter Document	2018 First Quarter Document	Adjusted amounts
1,981,261	1,968,108	3,949,369	2,082,544	2,085,071	2,527	2,164,747	2,154,971	9,776
161,975	161,828	323,803	161,662	154,640	7,022	156,803	147,783	9,020
600,161	585,377	1,185,538	655,053	666,641	11,588	696,380	690,910	5,470
1,125,977	1,127,754	2,253,731	1,167,216	1,165,176	2,040	1,210,116	1,215,384	5,268
2,677,901	2,653,431	5,331,332	2,896,030	2,907,241	11,211	3,242,991	3,261,838	18,847
210,288	210,393	420,681	210,319	209,710	609	225,680	219,695	5,985
799,501	771,881	1,571,382	867,748	887,211	19,463	994,415	992,862	1,553
1,475,583	1,478,628	2,954,211	1,563,655	1,556,014	7,641	1,704,230	1,730,614	26,384
1,927,395	1,914,241	3,841,636	2,024,749	2,027,276	2,527	2,100,007	2,092,226	7,781
2,609,674	2,585,204	5,194,878	2,821,391	2,832,127	10,736	3,151,437	3,175,601	24,164
135	135	270	139	139	0	150	151	2
130	130	260	130	136	6	144	149	5
133	132	265	132	133	1	143	144	1
131	131	262	134	134	0	141	142	2
110	180	290	111	183	73	120	196	76
		27,027,908			40,819			35,163