COPA TO PUBLICIZE TAX-EVADING INSTITUTIONS

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has decided to publicize through media, a list of all the institutions which fail to pay the due levy, parliament of Sri Lanka said on Friday (Jan. 08). The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) came to a decision during its meeting held on Wednesday (Jan. 06) to publicize all the institutions which have failed to pay the due levy by submitting a list of such institutions to the Media. Chairman of COPA Prof. Tissa Vitharana had instructed the Inland Revenue Department to submit to the Committee a list of institutions that have failed to pay the due levy within two months. Steps should be taken to recover the levy which is due as soon as possible, thereby increasing the government revenue, W.P.C. Wickramaratne, the Auditor General told the committee. The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) also took into discussion the need for the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Finance to work together in order to expedite the settlement of a number of Inland Revenue cases pending in the courts. H.M.W.C. Bandara, the Commissioner-General of Inland Revenue, raised the need to amend the law pertaining to tax deficit expeditiously. Accordingly, COPA Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitarana directed the Department of Inland Revenue to submit the relevant proposals with immediate effect.