Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahman has raised serious concerns in Parliament regarding discrepancies in the tax rates applied to the importation of BYD electric vehicles into Sri Lanka.
Speaking during the parliamentary session, MP Rahman questioned whether the importation of the latest BYD models had been subjected to unfair tax exemptions. He pointed out a potentially suspicious difference in the declared power output of these vehicles, which appears to have a direct impact on their taxation.
“A brand-new vehicle by the name of BYD ATTO 3 is being imported into the country. On the import documents, it is recorded as having a power output of 100 kilowatts. This brand-new vehicle is taxed at Rs. 5.5 million. However, a used BYD ATTO 3—registered as having 150 kilowatts—is taxed at just Rs. 1 million,” he explained.
Highlighting the apparent anomaly, Rahman emphasized the gap in tax levied on two versions of the same model: “There’s a Rs. 4.5 million difference between the taxes applied to the new and used vehicles. This raises serious concerns. The brand-new vehicle is listed as 100 kilowatts, while the used vehicle shows 150 kilowatts. It doesn’t add up.”
He further questioned the potential involvement of government connections: “We don’t know whether the main company importing these vehicles has ties to the government. Similar to the previous case of a suspicious container release, this situation also seems to involve reduced taxation.”
Rahman noted that according to the official BYD website, there is no 100-kilowatt version of the BYD ATTO 3 available. “The site clearly states that the BYD ATTO 3 is a 150-kilowatt vehicle. Yet, the brand-new vehicle leaving the port is labeled as 100 kilowatts and taxed at Rs. 5.5 million, while the used one, with 150 kilowatts, is taxed at only Rs. 1 million. How is that possible?”
He concluded by hinting at a significant revelation on this matter to be published in the Mawrata newspaper next Sunday.
