In a statement made in Parliament today, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya emphasized the necessity of taxes being paid to the government when crude coconut oil is imported, refined, and distributed within the country.
Her remarks followed a question raised by SJB MP S.M. Marikkar, who highlighted that several companies had failed to pay taxes amounting to over 5 billion rupees since January of the previous year, despite importing crude coconut oil.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to thank MP Marikkar twice for bringing the issue to light, praising his role in exposing the fraud.
The issue of coconut oil tax evasion was initially uncovered by the Mavrata newspaper, and since then, other media outlets have followed suit by reporting on the matter.
S.M. Marikkar’s inquiry in Parliament about the revelations made by Mavrata and other media sources prompted a response from Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, who assured that he would confer with officials from the Ministry of Finance and provide an explanation on the following day. However, this explanation has not yet been delivered.
It is concerning that the opposition has remained largely silent regarding the government’s failure to collect the 5 billion rupees in taxes while continuing to impose taxes on essential goods like food and beverages. In addition, it is surprising that not only the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the primary opposition party, but also factions within the Ranil Wickremesinghe group, the Podujana Peramuna, the Tamil National Alliance, and other MPs have remained silent on this significant coconut oil tax fraud.
While certain so-called economic elites have vocally criticized other scandals, such as the garlic and sugar scams, none have raised concerns about the massive coconut oil tax fraud uncovered by the Mavrata newspaper.
This silence has led to growing suspicions that some opposition MPs may have connections to those responsible for the 5 billion rupee tax evasion.
In an effort to clarify the situation, we reached out to the Commissioner General of the Inland Revenue Department, W.A.S. Chandrasekara. She confirmed that a committee has been formed to conduct an independent investigation into the issue and assured that no obstruction would be made to their work. For further details, she directed us to inquire with Deputy Commissioner General Mr. Napana.
When we spoke with Mr. Napana, he stated that inquiries regarding the matter should be directed to the Ministry of Finance. He further mentioned that although the Inland Revenue Department had been questioned about the issue, they had not yet received a response from the Ministry of Finance.
