The Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Economic and Physical Plans has directed the Excise Department to take immediate action to recover the taxes from large-scale alcohol production companies in the country.

At the SOC meeting on Friday (June 22), the committee’s chairman MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage inquired into the annual revenue and the performances of the Excise Department.

Aluthgamage told the Excise Department’s officials that the expected revenue from the Excise Department this year is Rs. 217 billion, however, as of June, only Rs. 72.985 billion have been earned. He said that due to this, the Excise Department of Sri Lanka has not reached the expected income.

The officials noted that the production and sale of alcohol suffered a decline due to the increase in the price of alcohol, presenting data to explain that the expected income cannot be reached due to this.

Aluthgamage, pointing out that the revenue of the Department Excise has not increased for a considerable number of years, pointed out that the increase in the price of alcohol is not the sole reason for the decline in the entity’s income, and thus instructed the authorities to collect taxes directly from the large-scale alcohol production companies in this country. He also directed them to revoke the licenses of the manufacturing companies that fail to pay taxes in any way.

The Excise Department was further instructed by Aluthgamage to apprise this the SOC of the pending laws and regulations necessary to increase the efficiency of the Department.