Govt. & businessmen profiting off sugar mafia: Vijitha Herath

COLOMBO (News 1st): Parliamentarian Vijitha Herath says that the Government and business owners are profiting off sugar at the expense of the public. Speaking to the media today (03), the MP said that a kilogram of sugar, although is imported for Rs. 79, can be easily sold at Rs. 85 after adding taxes. Herath reminded that the the Trade Minister boasted to the public to not to worry as they have controlled the price of sugar, however they are unable to supply the necessary stocks. The MP noted that the Government is staging various incidents to shift the blame from them. " What they are doing now is making staged shows is seizing sugar stocks, because the Consumer Affairs Authority would know before the media of any existing sugar stocks. Thus, what the Government is doing is absolutely clear. They are trying to shift the blame to the business owners and save themselves by showing that the business owners hid these metric tons of sugar in warehouses and that it is not the Government's fault" He said. The Parliamentarian mentioned that what the Government did was increasing the price of sugar via the emergency gazette notification, which they themselves imported for a very small tax. He said that their method revolves around importing sugar for a low tax, hiding it in warehouses and buy back for a higher price so the businessmen can make profit. Ultimately, the only parties that earn profit are the Government and the businessmen, at the expense of the cost of living for the public, he added. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9VjUt9FC7k