Financial Times

Friendly tax officers soon
By Iromi Perera
Widening of the tax base - arising out of budget proposals - became effective from Friday (April 1) where users of telephones, credit cards, purchasing a car or travelling abroad and access to electricity all qualify for tax payments.

R.P.L. Weerasinghe, Commissioner General of the Department of Inland Revenue, who appealed to taxpayers to make their declarations said any individual who meets four of the above five criteria must declare their income before the end of the tax year.

He said the department could collect information from authorities such as the Department of Immigration, Ceylon Electricity Board and Sri Lanka Telecom in the case of those who fail to declare their incomes. For the moment the authorities don't plan to request credit card information but would do so from banks if the need arose. Despite these tough rules, the department wants to create a taxpayer-friendly environment through a modernization program currently taking place with the help of the ADB.

Weerasinghe said there are plans to launch a taxpayer service centre. This would be a 'one stop shop', where taxpayers walk in and receive information, get clearance, etc and get all their work done on one floor, without having to go from floor to floor. It will essentially bring the relevant officers to one floor, so that the taxpayer can get all their work done easily.

A Code of Ethics and Conduct for revenue officers is also in place. A series of taxes under the budget proposals come into force from April 1. Weerasinghe said that this is the first time in a few years the relevant laws regarding these taxes have been passed by the parliament before the beginning of the tax year.

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