The National Authority on Tobacco & Alcohol has proposed to introduce a taxation formula for tobacco and alcohol through the budget.
The Chairman of the National Authority on Tobacco & Alcohol (NATA), Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa said the formula will be directed to the Ministry of Finance through the Ministry of Health to be included in the next year’s budget as a national policy.
Speaking during a media briefing in Colombo today, Dr. Rajapaksa said if the proposed tax policy is implemented at the end of the year, the current state tax revenue of Rs. 101 billion can be increased to Rs. 136 billion by 2026.
Dr. Rajapaksa noted that for several years, the prices have not been revised based on a scientific methodology.
The NATA Chairman said through the new tax policy, the government will be able to increase the tax revenue by Rs. 7 billion annually while also succeeding in discouraging the use of tobacco and alcohol.
NATA Chairman Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa meanwhile said they have identified through a recent public survey that 90 percent of the people are of the view that 180mm alcohol bottles should be removed from the market.
Dr. Rajapaksa said they can only formulate policies for the betterment of the country and the implementation of such laws should be done by politicians.
He said lawmakers must listen to the sentiment of the public and formulate legislation.
