VAT Bill: SC says bill as a whole not inconsistent

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Sri Lanka's Supreme Court in its determination on the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill noted that subject to the amendments being moved at the Committee Stage of Parliament as proposed by the learned Deputy Solicitor General, the Bill as a whole is not inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution.

The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill was challenged in the Supreme Court in terms of Article 121(1) of the Constitution.

The amendments are as follows:

(i)Clause 3
The insertion of the following proviso in Section 10(1)—
“Provided further, for the purposes of paragraph (vii), the requirement for the registration shall raise from the date on which this Amendment Act comes into operation.”

(ii)Clause 4(1)
The reference to “September 30, 2022” to be deleted and substituted with “November 30, 2022”.

(iii)Clause 4(2)
The reference to “October 1, 2022” to be deleted and substituted with “December 1, 2022”.
I order that the Determination of the Supreme Court be printed in the Official Report of today’s proceedings of the House.