28.5 percent jump in revenue collection in first eight months of 2024

The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) announced on Thursday (12), that total tax revenue collected from January to August 2024 amounted to Rs. 1,229,245 million. In comparison to the Rs. 956,418 million collected during the same period in 2023, revenue collection has increased by 28.5% in 2024, according to a press release issued by the Department.

“This favourable growth can be attributed to several factors, including new tax policies, a gradual improvement in the country’s economic situation, and enhanced tax administration efficiency,” said the Commissioner General of Inland Revenue.

The Department expressed its gratitude to all citizens and entities for their contributions through tax payments and reaffirmed its commitment to providing efficient and effective tax administration services to its valued taxpayers.

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THE DEBATE

I capitalise or upper case my title because it is The Debate I write about, thousands of miles away in Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania between US contestants for the presidency. It was on September 10 at 9.00 pm and Cassandra listened to it on BBC News on 11^th morning starting around 6.30. She is sure many of her readers did the same but dissecting it and expressing opinions cannot be boring.

The debate was conducted superbly by ABC News, facilitated by moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. To Cassandra it was completely fair and unbiased. But the immediate war cry of the Republicans, denounced by Trump’s son, was that it was a ‘three on one’ debate. Their contention was that the hosts were biased and questioned Trump while Harris was given plenty of time to express her views. This I felt was a case of the carpenter blaming his tools for a shoddy job done. Trump’s people have to blame and malign unless he is treated with kid gloves and respect bordering on reverence given him

Issues

The main subjects debated on were the American economy, abortion, migration, global warming, international relations, war in Gaza and Ukraine, Afghanistan, and of course the respective policies of Trump and Harris.

The American economy was never so stable according to what Trump proclaimed when he was president. He said he fired any officer who was inefficient in his job, whatever position he held. Harris pointed out the jobs created within the four years of Biden’s presidency and the advancement of technology and mass green manufactures such as electric cars. Trump derided the development of solar power etc., as too expensive. Harris said people had better medicare and social benefits and schooling and housing would be improved vastly when she became president. She said Trump had done away with Obama’s Medicare legislation to which Trump replied he improved it.

Abortion

was hotly debated with Harris presenting facts such as Trump appointing three judges to the Supreme Court who rescinded Roe vs Wade judgment which allowed women to seek abortion within the first trimester with valid reasons for the request. Harris spoke so well on this topic justifying a woman’s right over her own body and pregnancy. Trump went haywire. “So, you will allow abortion in the eighth, ninth month, seventh month?” Harris mentioned that IVF treatment for childless couples was denied during Trump’s tenure and to obtain a necessary abortion a woman had to go to other States until abortion was made illegal. She showed her humanity here and the humane policies of a Democratic government.

Migration was hotly spoken on by Trump not only when the subject was under discussion but in answer to many questions on other issues asked him. He accused Biden and Harris for destroying the country by allowing thousands of migrants to enter the US with most of them being terrorists and murderers. He even said: “In Springfield people are complaining of the loss of their pets, and migrants are eating cats and dogs.” Muir is said to have fact checked and challenged Trump to substantiate his statement with figures. Of course, he evaded that.

One of the hosts asked Trump: “About the march on the Capitol, do you regret anything connected with January 6^th?” He did not reply that question even when repeated and lied preposterously that it was a peaceful march and he did not incite violence. He denied culpability. “Only one was shot that day and by the police. I had nothing to do with it. The police who defended the Capitol were on the other side.” He blamed Nancy Pelosi and the Major of Washington for the incident. Harris pitched into him but without any show of anger. She said he incited a violent mob. She said her government would “turn a page and stand for law and order. He has said there will be a bloodbath if he loses the election.”

Which led one of the moderators to ask Trump whether and why he said he won the 2021 election and then concede he lost by a whisker. Trump replied: “There is proof I won. Elections are bad, allowing everyone and anyone to vote. The problem is the nation is dying.”

When debating foreign policy and the ongoing wars, Trump boasted that if he was in power there would have been no wars. He would have negotiated with Putin, Netanyahu and Hamas and no wars would have occurred. To which Harris scathingly said he wrote love letters to Kim Jong Un and would favour any dictator if that person praised him. She recounted the many visits she had made to Ukraine as VP; and heard many, even officers of the American armed forces, who spoke of Trump’s pride and self-esteem and that anyone who praised him was his friend. Trump said Harris hated Israel, hated the Arabs too. Also, that she was worse than Biden and he was the weakest of all presidents of the US of all time. “She is a horrible negotiator.” In this segment of the debate Harris did not shine like she did all through. She should have mentioned her husband is a Jew.

One of the hosts addressing Trump said: “You said you can stop the war in Ukraine. How will you do it? What is your opinion?” Trump replied: “I will settle matters before becoming president.”

Trump was very critical of how Biden handled the situation in Afghanistan allowing American soldiers to die there. Harris countered this by saying Trump when he was Prez negotiated directly with the then and now Taliban leader – Hibatullah Akhundzad and even invited him to stay over in Camp David which is a resort where respected, notable world leaders are invited to.

Climate change was discussed briefly. Harris reminded her audience that Trump had said global warming was a hoax. She commented the young particularly were concerned about the environment and dangers inherent. Her policy was clean energy.

The racial issue came up when one of the moderators asked why Trump often brought up the issue of a person’s race like Obama being Black and showing surprise on discovering Harris claimed to be Black. “I don’t care” he lied. She spoke of her parentage and growing up in a middleclass milieu with a very determined and disciplined mother, implying the contrast between Trump’s background and hers.

The issue of gun possession had Trump saying that Harris and Biden would confiscate everyone’s gun. She countered this by saying she and her VP – if she were elected – both possessed guns. It is known that one policy issue in her future plans is about schools and schooling with free meals and safety.

The 90-minute debate ended with the final statements of each. Harris said she would take the country forward charted by a new plan: children would be protected; COL would be brought down; American peace policy would be sustained worldwide; human rights, particularly women’s, would be protected.

Trump had no definite statement. He said Harris promises much and questioned what she had done in 3 ½ years. (The notes I took down gave me nothing from him. He rambled on).

Analysis/opinions

You can Google or read in the foreign press myriads of comments. Cassandra says the debate was excellently conducted and so were the moderators. Kamala Harris out debated her contestant and “landed repeated blows on former President Trump”. She was focused, gave clear definite answers to questions posed to her and was charismatic, emanating vibes of vibrancy, charm, firmness. She will make an excellent Prez. However, she faces two negatives with white conservative Americans: her being a woman and of mixed races – Jamaican and Indian.

Donald Trump was a failure in the debate: rambling and vituperative with insults. He was brought many pegs down after being judged better in the debate he had with Biden.

Locally, many debates were spoken about, challenges thrown by party leaders to their opponents, but none have been forthcoming.

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Ranil finds fault with Anura for being evasive on economic policy matters

President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday found fault with Anura Dissanayake for evading the question whether the NPP’s economic policy was focused on exports or imports. Speaking at a gathering of intellectuals and business leaders from the Kurunegala District at the Asliya Golden Cassandra Hotel, the President suggested that Dissanayake, along with fellow NPP members Sunil Handunnetti and Harshana Suriyapperuma, should first clarify their party’s economic policy in a separate debate before engaging in a discussion with him.

President Wickremesinghe offered to organise a video discussion that would include himself, Dissanayake, and Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He also indicated that despite Sajith Premadasa’s reluctance to allow others to speak, Premadasa could also be invited to join the discussion.

The President questioned why Dissanayake’s policy statement included a budget projecting Rs. 8,900 billion in expenditure and Rs. 4,900 billion in revenue, resulting in a deficit of Rs. 4,000 billion, which he argued could severely damage the country’s economy. He emphasised that rather than making vague promises, Dissanayake should present a clear and actionable economic policy.

The President highlighted concerns about the NPP’s financial plans, noting that fulfilling their promises would require Rs. 8,900 billion, while proposed tax concessions would reduce income to Rs. 4,900 billion, creating a significant deficit of Rs. 4,000 billion, or 11.9% of GDP. He questioned how such a strategy could advance the economy.

President Wickremesinghe also mentioned a previous lawsuit filed by Handunnetti and Suriyapperuma challenging the constitutionality of the export economy proposed in the Economic Transformation Act. He expressed skepticism about participating in a debate without clarity on the NPP’s economic strategy.

He proposed a debate involving Dissanayake, Handunnetti, and Suriyapperuma to determine whether their economic policy was export-oriented or import-oriented. Following this, he is willing to arrange a video discussion with Dissanayake and the IMF Managing Director.

The President also noted that despite Sajith Premadasa’s extensive speeches in Parliament, core issues remained unresolved, and Premadasa’s leadership. He questioned how Premadasa could be expected to lead the Opposition.

The meeting was attended by UNP Deputy Leader Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, MPs Ashanka Navaratne and Manjula Dissanayake, M.B. Dissanayake, Dr. Chaminda Mallasekera, Polgahawela UNP Zone Organizer Dhammi Rathnayake, and Kurunegala District UNP Zone Organizer Nuwan Liyanage, along with local political leaders, professionals, and businesspeople.

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The Oval 1998 is special, but is 2024 better?

Rex Clementine in London

The Oval 1998 is special for all Sri Lankans because that win over England broke many glass ceilings. Sri Lanka were reigning ODI World Champions at that point and to give them a one off Test match was an insult. But captain Arjuna Ranatunga used that as a motivation to fire up his players. Sanath Jayasuriya’s double hundred, Aravinda de Silva 152 and Muttiah Muralitharan’s 16 wickets resulted in a ten wicket win and Richie Benaud on commentary rubbing salt to English wounds will remain in our memories forever.

But is the recent win at The Oval better than the 1998 one? Well, it could be. In 1998 Sri Lanka had an experienced team. Arjuna, Sanath, Aravinda and Murali were household names. But the heroes of the 2024 win were barely known to the Englishmen. Milan Ratnayake leave alone in England, but he is hardly known in Colombo. Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis came out of Heathrow for the first time but they both adapted so well.

“You can never forget the 1998 win. The way Arjuna motivated us and yes that’s an unforgettable win. But in that game conditions were to our favour and we had a very strong team. But this time we played in total different conditions,” Sanath Jayasuriya hero in 1998 and Head Coach in 2024 told journalists.

“This time, there was a lot of grass. It was cloudy, gloomy and very cold. Conditions were ideal for England seamers. The way Kamindu and Dhananjaya batted was outstanding in the first innings and then in the second innings Kusal gave us a prolific start and Angelo finished it so well using all his experience. I simply don’t have words to explain Pathum Nissanka. He is in a different league,” added Jayasuriya

“We had a lot of faith in Pathum. But then he made it look all too easy. The way he batted is an example for any young batsman to watch and learn how to bat in England when conditions are seaming around. For the first hour, he played with a straight bat. No cross batted shots. All his runs in that hour came with straight drives. Then as the bowlers were tiring and faulted with their lines, he started playing the cut, pull and those square drives and cover drives were so good to see,” Jayasuriya noted.

“Then once we had the game within our reach, Pathum showed the England bowlers who the boss is. Those two hook shots that he played for six off Stone would have hurt England. That is called winning in style,” the former Test captain further said.

Sri Lanka took a gamble by backing four seam bowlers for the Test match and leaving out spinner Prabath Jayasuriya. That proved to be a superb decision as all four of them made an impact.

“We took a gamble. It has never happened in our history as traditionally spin has been our strength. We had to think out of the box because conditions demanded extra seam. Asitha bowled some unplayable spells and finished as the leading wicket taker in the series from either side. Lahiru Kumara bowled with pace and I liked his aggression. Then Vishwa was outstanding in the second innings. Milan Ratnayake is the new kid in the block and he will go a long way,” said Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya himself has a lot of experience in England having represented Somerset, Lancashire and Worcester in County Cricket. He was asked whether England underestimated Sri Lanka with a 2-0 series lead in hand.

“We don’t worry about that. We wanted to play for our strength and we won the Test match. Old Trafford, where we lost by five wickets, was a tight game. I feel that if we had come into the series with one more warm-up game, we would have fared much better.

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Lawyers’ Collective asks public to vote wisely

The Lawyers’ Collective has urged electorate to vote for a person committed to the safeguard and protection of the independence and integrity of institutions, including the judiciary, the Constitutional Council, the police, public service, the Central Bank, and independent commissions and to safeguard them from unwarranted political interference and pressure.

The text of the statement: As the Presidential Election draws close, the Lawyers’ Collective draws the attention of the voting public to areas vital to the future of governance in Sri Lanka: democracy, rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.

In a democracy, institutions must respect the different powers and responsibilities of Parliament, the Executive led by the President and the Courts. The preservation of the rule of law is key to the well-being of the nation and its people and is an integral part of building a sustainable and thriving economy, a democratic and just social order and accountable governance.

People and also governments must recognise that the rule of law, including the protection of human rights, includes many elements such as the right of the people to participate in decision-making in governance, the holding of periodic free and fair elections, the independence of the judiciary, the prevention of corruption, transparency in governance, subsidiarity and equitable power sharing, the right to equality, non-discrimination and equal protection of the law, the guarantee of accountability and rejection of impunity.

Over the years, Sri Lanka has witnessed a steady decline in the rule of law and democratic values and norms, which has directly affected the economic wellbeing of the nation and impacted the daily lives of people. The decline in the rule of law has resulted in economic mismanagement, large scale bribery and corruption, impunity, gross human rights abuse and violence against persons and property. Several laws that undermine human rights, democracy and decision making by those most affected have been enacted. The economic and political crisis of 2022 is essentially a crisis of governance resulting from the breakdown of the rule of law and weakening of key institutions. There is much to be reversed and changed.

If Sri Lanka is to achieve economic and social stability the strengthening of its institutions, including Parliament, the Judiciary, the Public Service, including the Police and other independent institutions, is essential. So, too, is addressing the issue of corruption and waste of public resources.

Therefore, it is necessary to elect a President who commits to the safeguard and protection of the independence and integrity of institutions, including the judiciary, the Constitutional Council, the police, the public service, the Central Bank, and independent commissions and to safeguard them from unwarranted political interference and pressure. These are essential for the sustainable economic development of our country. Towards this end, a clear Page 2 of 3 commitment to abolish the executive presidency and to step away from centralized authoritarian power is crucial.

Over the years a key source of interference or attempted interference with these institutions has been the executive President whose powers have often gone unchecked. After the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the Supreme Court has become an important institution to act as a check on the abuses of the Presidential Office. Hence it is vital at present, and in the future, that the independence of the judiciary is preserved as it is a corner stone for the preservation of democracy and the rule of law in Sri Lanka. Without an independent and a courageous judiciary, citizens who have suffered from violations of their rights at the hands of State authorities will not be able to effectively vindicate their rights or to obtain redress.

The person who is elected as President will have a profound impact on democracy, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, the police and the public service. The Lawyers’ Collective notes that the President so elected will have the opportunity to fill several vacancies which will arise in the apex courts in the next few months, including the vacancy in the office of Chief Justice which will occur in December 2024.

As you cast your vote, the Lawyers Collective respectfully urges the voting public to keep in mind the vital need to safeguard democracy, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in our nation.

The following signed the statement: Upul Jayasuriya, PC, M.M. Zuhair, PC, Professor Savitri Goonesekere, Attorney-at-Law Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, PC, Dinal Phillips, PC, Geoffrey Alagaratnam, PC, Saliya Pieris, PC, Professor Deepika Udagama, Professor Camena Gunaratne, S.T. Jayanaga, PC, Nalin Dissanayake, PC, Upul Kumarapperuma, PC, Srinath Perera, Attorney-at-Law, Darshana Kuruppu, Attorney-at-Law, Chandima Atapattu, Attorney-at-Law, Sandamal Rajapakse, Attorney-at-Law, Kosala Dabare, Attorney-at-Law, Manoj Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law, Amila Egodamahawatte, Attorney-at-Law and Jayantha Dehiaththage, Attorney-at-Law.

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Pope’s mass in Timor-Leste draws 600,000 worshippers

Some 600,000 people  gathered in a field outside Timor-Leste’s capital Dili for one of the biggest masses of Pope Francis’s papacy.

The open-air congregation represented nearly half the population of the small Southeast Asian country – one of the most Roman Catholic places on Earth and the only Catholic-majority nation the pontiff is visiting on his Asia-Pacific tour.

In anticipation of the crowds, at least one local telecom company had informed customers that their signal at the venue would be affected.

Tuesday’s mass is being held on disputed ground in Tasitolu, where authorities recently demolished homes and evicted nearly ninety people.

They even demolished our belongings inside the house,” Zerita Correia previously told BBC News. “Now we have to rent nearby because my children are still in school in this area.”

The move attracted strong criticism from local residents, hundreds of whom had moved there over the past decade from rural parts of the country. Many came looking for work in the capital and built basic homes in the area.

The government says they are squatting and have no right to live on the land. A government minister told the BBC previously that residents had been made aware of plans to clear the area in September 2023.

It is one of several controversies that has darkened the pontiff’s visit – another being the case of a prominent East Timorese bishop, hailed as an independence hero, who was accused of sexually abusing young boys in the country during the 1980s and 90s.

The pontiff is on a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region (BBC)

A Vatican spokesman earlier said the Church had been aware of the case against Nobel Peace Prize-winning Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo in 2019 and had imposed disciplinary measures in 2020, including restrictions on Bishop Belo’s movements and a ban on voluntary contact with minors.

Many had wondered, however, whether the Pope would address the scandal during his time in Timor-Leste.

While not mentioning that or any other case specifically, Pope Francis used his speech on Monday to call on young people to be protected from abuse, telling officials: “Let us not forget the many children and adolescents whose dignity has been violated.”

He then called on people to do “everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people”.

In an open letter, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests in Oceania said there had “still not been redress for the victims” and called on Pope Francis to use Church money to pay compensation to them. The Pope has not met with any of the victims so far.

The pontiff also used his speech to praise Timor-Leste – formerly known as East Timor – for its new era of “peace and freedom”, more than two decades after it achieved independence from neighbouring Indonesia.

“We give thanks to the Lord, since you never lost hope while going through such a dramatic period of your history, and after dark and difficult days, a dawn of peace and freedom has finally dawned,” he said.

Pope Francis, who landed in Dili on Monday afternoon, will have spent less than 48 hours in Timor-Leste when he flies to Singapore on Wednesday for the last leg of his 12-day tour.

(BBC)

 

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Pathum seals memorable Oval Test win

Rex Clementine in London

Recalled to the Test side after a hiatus of two years, Pathum Nissanka made his comeback a memorable one helping Sri Lanka to secure a rare Test match win at The Oval yesterday. Chasing a target of 219, Sri Lanka still required 125 runs with nine wickets in hand yesterday morning and with conditions overcast, England believed that they could pull off the game. But Pathum Nissanka’s chanceless knock put an end to those hopes.

Sri Lanka romped home to an eight wicket win before lunch on day four doing it in white ball style going at 5.4 runs an over.

Nissanka had smashed the bowling to all parts the previous night to reach his half-century less than run a delivery, but with the ball seaming around yesterday morning, he was more cautious providing the bowlers the respect they deserved. But once he reached the milestone and with victory in touching distance he cut loose playing beautifully.

England tried to bounce him out and Nissanka took the fine-leg man on hooking the ball.

There were a few questions asked as to why Pathum did not feature in the opening Test at Old Trafford. The reason seems to be that he had a few technical glitches to work on and once they were sorted, he was given the green light.

There are few batters in world cricket who go about the business gracefully with those elegant drives and solid defense. Pathum is one of them. But he’s no one-trick pony as he is quite capable of playing the cross batted shots too be it the pull or the cut.

Kusal Mendis batted well too but when he fell with the total on 108, there were a few doubts as to whether Sri Lanka could still finish this off.

Then came Angelo Mathews bringing with him all his experience and he ensured that England didn’t get another sniff in the game.

Mathews and Nissanka added 111 runs for the second wicket and appropriately Nissanka brought the winning runs by cutting Shoaib Bashir wide off the backward of point fielder to the boundary.

Nissanka finished unbeaten on 127 that came off 124 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. Mathews was on 32 off 61 balls with three fours.

Nissanka was named Man of the Match. Kamindu Mendis was declared Player of the Series ahead of Asitha Fernando.

This is now the highest successful run chase by an Asian team in England. Pakistan had chased down 180 at Headingly in 2010.

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