Alleged Sugar Tax Fraud Has Cost Govt. 15.9 Billion Rupees: Finance Ministry Informs Parliamentary Finance Committee

The Ministry of Finance has submitted a report to the Parliamentary Finance Committee stating that the government has lost Rs. 15.9 billion in tax revenue due to the alleged "sugar tax fraud" involving businessman Sajad Mawzoon and former Chairman of Sathosa Nushad Perera.

The report, according to the Aruna newspaper, states that the fraud took place from October 14, 2020 to February 20, 2021. According to the report, this tax revenue has been lost due to the reduction of the sugar import tax from 50 rupees to 25 cents. The Ministry of Finance points out that the public has not benefited from the tax reduction.

Samagi Tharuna Balawegaya Chairman MP Mayantha Dissanayake and Propaganda Secretary Rasika Jayakody have already lodged a complaint with the Bribery Commission in this regard while the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department.

The report reveals that seven importers have imported sugar on a large scale, with one company importing 39% of the imported sugar and the other 45% importing sugar. The amount of sugar imported in this manner is around 400,000 metric tons. Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament Anura Priyadarshana Yapa stated that this report will be discussed in the future.