Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said the Budget presented by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake resembles a document written by the IMF and contains no measures to ease the burdens faced by the public.

Speaking to the media yesterday (7) after the budget speech, he said the Budget was not crafted with the needs of ordinary people in mind, at a time when citizens are grappling with severe hardships, rising poverty, rising unemployment, and a collapsing industrial sector.

He noted that micro, small, and medium enterprises, which contribute 50% to the country’s GDP, are struggling, and the government has failed to support them.

Premadasa added that farmers, fishers, workers, self-employed persons, and unemployed graduates have been left without solutions to their problems, describing the Budget as one built on deception and misdirection.

He further claimed that while a substantial allocation has been made for the proposals in the new Budget, the government has still not presented progress on the funds allocated under the 2025 Budget. He said the Finance Minister, who is also the President, has failed to account for those funds and has instead presented what he called a false narrative.