Budget at a glance

Salaries of Government servant will be increased by Rs.10,000.  Rs.5000 will be given in February while the balance will be given in June.

• Pensions to be increased by Rs.1000 from April 2015
• Samurdhi Allowance to be increased by 200% from April 2015
• Interest rates on deposit of pensioners to be increased up to 15% subject to maximum deposit of one million rupees.
• Pregnant mothers to get an allowance of Rs.20,000 with immediate effect
• Guaranteed price for a litre of fresh milk to be increased by Rs.10
• Price of Kerosene per Ltre reduced by Rs.6 (New price Rs.59)
• Bus fares will be reduced by atleast 10%
• Price of Sugar will be reduced by Rs.10
• Price of Wheat Flour will be reduced by Rs.12.50
• Price of a loaf of bread will be reduced accordingly.
• Prices of Coriander will be reduced by Rs.26 per kilo.
• Maximum retail Price of a 400 gm packet of Milk powder will be reduced to Rs.325
• Price of a 12.5 kg LP Gas  will be reduced by Rs.300.  New aprice will be Rs.1596
• Taxes imposed on maldive fish will be reduced by Rs.200
• Taxes imposed on canned fish will be reduced by Rs.60
• Taxes imposed on sprats will be reduced by Rs.15 per kg.
• Taxes imposed on green gram will be reduced from 40% to 10%
• A new palace tax will be imposed to be paid annually
• All Sri Lankans who migrate to another country will be liable for an exist tax
• A super gain tax will be imposed for organizations that record a profit of over Rs.200 million
• Taxes imposed on vehicles less than 1000cc to be reduced by 15%, Taxes imposed on hybrid vehicles to be reduced
• Cement prices will be reduced by around Rs.90
• A one time tax of Rs.1000 million will have to be paid by anyone who owns casinos before April 2015
• Marriage registration tax will be reduced by Rs.4000.  New tax Rs.1000
• Sports channels with over 5 transmitting stations will have to pay a one time tax of Rs.1000 million
• A Pension Scheme will be introduced for self employed persons
• Mahapola scholarship scheme to be increased to Rs.5000 from February 2015
• Viru Daru special loan scheme of up to Rs.500,000 will be paid for disabled war veterans
• Credit Card interest rates to be reduced by 8%
• Relief will be provided to depositors of non banking financial institutions
• Special bus fare for senior citizens (only 50% of the fare will be charged)
• Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment registration will be reduced to Rs.5000
• State owned vehicles which are not being used will be sold at an open auction
• Regulations for issuing of liquor licenses to be tightened.
• Sri Lankan Airlines losses over past 5 years Rs 100bn. Mihin Airlines losses over past 5 years Rs. 15bn. The 2 airlines will be merged to increase productivity.
• Taxes imposed on Mobile phone Reloads removed from consumers, Telecommunications Companies asked to bear the tax.
• OPDs of all the state owned hospitals in the country to be kept opened for 24-hours
• Decentralized funds of a Member of Parliament to be increased from Rs 5mn to Rs.10mn. Govt. to  allocates Rs. 1120 million for the increase.
• 50% of the loans taken by farmers will be written off, remainder will be compounded to allow for payment on easy terms.
• Funds allocated for Education increased to 6% of the GDP

 

(Government News Portal)