The Ministry of Finance has issued a final notification to the alcohol manufacturing companies to pay the liquor tax and all other taxes to the government before the end of this month.
Confirming this news, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that final notices have been issued to the liquor manufacturers to pay all defaulted taxes.
He said that there are companies that have failed to pay taxes for almost ten years, and steps will be taken to collect all those taxes. The minister also said that no steps will be taken to provide tax concessions to any party from now on.
It has been confirmed from previous investigations that even the safety sticker introduced for consumer protection and the proper tax collection from the alcohol manufacturing companies, is being faked and affixed by the alcohol companies.
It was revealed in the Ways and Procedures Committee of the Parliament chaired by Member of Parliament Patali Champika Ranawaka that it was not possible to find the whereabouts of Globe and ”Wayaba” Distilleries, which were supposed to pay 1.4 billion rupees in tax. The Excise Department has managed to collect more than 100 million rupees as fines from the liquor manufacturing companies who affixed fake stickers as per the directives of the said committee.