Govt. extends special commodity levy on six items for three months

COLOMBO (News1st): The special commodity levy imposed on at least six imported items has been extended for three more months, a state document showed. The finance ministry had instructed to impose the levy for six months since November 8 last year. The order will lapse at midnight on Friday. Accordingly, finance minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will issue another gazette on Friday extending the period to impose the tax until August 8. Among these products are sprats, dried fish, green gram, mangosteen, kiwifruit, and several other edible fruits and nuts. The special commodity levy ranges from Rs 200 for mangosteens, Rs 175 for kiwifruit, Rs 52 for dried fish, Rs 40 for green gram, to Rs 1 for sprats. Recently, the government had increased the special commodity levy on fruits and palm oil, amidst an economic crisis due to the coronavirus. In April, Sri Lanka had slapped a temporary ban on importing at least 156 products, as the Sri Lankan rupee hit record lows against the US dollar. However, the restrictions were subsequently relaxed to facilitate the imports of raw materials. The Sri Lankan rupee traded at Rs 191.5 against the US dollar on Wednesday, according to latest statistics of the central bank.