Five liquor distilleries given deadline to pay arrears taxes – AG tells court

Five liquor distilleries given deadline to pay arrears taxes – AG tells court

November 13, 2024   04:46 pm

The Attorney General has informed the Supreme Court that the Department of Excise has decided to suspend the licenses of five liquor manufacturers, including W.M. Mendis & Co. Ltd., if they fail to pay arrears taxes before November 30, 2024.

Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, representing the Excise Commissioner General, informed the court of this when a fundamental rights petition filed by social activist Sanjaya Mahawaththa and others was taken up today (13). 

The petition was heard before a bench comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Yasantha Kodagoda, and Priyantha Fernando.

The Additional Solicitor General stated that five liquor manufacturing companies including W. M. Mendis & Co Ltd and Royal Distilleries (Pvt) Ltd, that have been named as respondents, have agreed to pay the arrears by the end of the month. He also reiterated the Excise Department’s decision to suspend their licenses if payments are not made on time.

The three-judge panel ordered a follow-up hearing on January 22, directing the respondents to report on their progress.

According to the case report, the tax arrears owed by these companies amount to nearly Rs. 6 billion. 

The petitioners argue that the prolonged tax defaults have significantly impacted the national economy and requested that the Excise Department enforce the collection of overdue taxes and suspend licenses for non-compliance.

 

CORRECTION: The article had previously incorrectly named “Royal Casks Distilleries (Pvt)” Ltd as one of the liquor manufacturers with tax arrears and has now been corrected as “Royal Distilleries (Pvt) Ltd”.

Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.



NOTE:- Due to legal contstraints, the Ada Derana Editorial team has taken a decision to disable comments on all articles concerning ongoing court procedures.

Most Viewed Video Stories

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Lunch Time News Bulletin 12.00 pm

Sri Lanka invites UAE to be strong development partner – Minister Sunil Handunnetti (English)

244 'Mahaviru' commemoration events held in North, LTTE symbols displayed at 10 - Minister (English)

Sri Lanka's apparel and textile exports surge by 21.77% in October 2024 (English)

Social activist Kelum Jayasumana granted bail following arrest over 'Mahaviru' commemoration posts (English)

Social activist Kelum Jayasumana granted bail following arrest over 'Mahaviru' commemoration posts

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm