Government increases CESS levy on imported cement

COLOMBO (News 1st): The industrial exports ministry has increased the CESS levy on imported cement with effect from June 03, a state document seen by News 1st showed. The CESS is a levy that is imposed in addition to any export or import duty, in a bid to uplift local industries pertaining to those products. According to revised rates, the CESS imposed on a 50-kilo cement bag has been increased to Rs 250, with the levy standing at Rs 5 a kilo. "Earlier this levy, which was 14 percent of the cost of the bag, stood at around Rs 47 a bag," Ranjith Vithanage, the National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection told News 1st. Meanwhile, the CESS imposed on bulk cement packs weighing more than 50 kilos has been set at Rs 3 a kilo, a move which would see importers paying at least Rs 103 more than usual. "Previously, importers had to pay eight percent of the bag, that is around Rs 47 for a bag slightly over 50 kilos," Vithanage added. According to the document, a CESS tax of Rs 1 a kilo will also be imposed on cement clinkers. This product had not been subjected to the levy previously. CESS taxes had been introduced on several products including food, stationery, and housing products, by the ministry of development strategies and international trade in 2017.