Restrictions on vehicle imports to be relaxed by next year – Semasinghe

State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe states that the government is expected to ease restrictions and gradually allow the import of vehicles by next year.

Speaking to the media in the Anuradhapura area, Semasinghe asserted that presently the government has not allowed a selected group of people to import vehicles and that permission has only been granted to import vehicles for commercial purposes.

“The government does not allow a select group of people to import vehicles. So far, permission to import vehicles has been given only for commercial purposes, which means that only those who are involved in the economic process and commercial activities to contribute to the economy have been allowed to import vehicles thus far”, the State Minister said.

“Currently, if there are any restrictions on vehicle imports, they pertain solely to vehicles intended for personal use. However, these restrictions will also be eased in the future… By next year, they will be relaxed. However, this relaxation must also occur in a careful and controlled manner”, he mentioned.

Commenting further, the Finance State Minister expressed that there is no alternative for the country other than the existing economic programme to rebuild the economy.