People grumble about 2019 budget without handouts
With the 2019 budget just presented in parliament on Tuesday, people countrywide are grumbling on the ignorance of the UNF government to tackle the spiralling cost of living.
“The budget has provided a boost for boozers” by reducing the price of a bottle of special arrack(Gal arrack) considering it as the only issue faced by the people, National Movement of Consumer Rights Protection President Ranjith Vithanage said adding that it has failed to bring down the prices of essential commodities and services.
“The government has forgotten that people consume rice, onions, potatoes and dhal in their day-to-day lives,” he said stressing that the poor people find it difficult to live with current high cost of living. The only thing they expect from the government is a reduction in the prices of essential commodities, he claimed.
Several frontline members of consumer societies were of the view that the people’s income has come down, money circulation has declined and people’s buying power has diminished and are unable to make their ends meet due to the economic environment that exists in the country.
This budget has failed miserably to address these issues and provide relief for middle class people who are suffering silently as they had to maintain certain standard of lives with their meagre monthly incomes, they pointed out.
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera told a top level official meeting at the Finance Ministry that the 2019 budget was “a shift from a culture of handouts to a culture of empowerment and independence”.
He noted that it would be called an ‘Enterprise Sri Lanka’ budget and it is empowering and nurtures the poor.
The government is helping the people to become self-reliance to stand on their own feet, he said adding that bringing down the prices or introducing controlled prices of food items will not solve the country’s economic problems.
However the Treasury has already taken measures to ease the pressure on high cost of living while also protecting the local farmer, a senior Finance Ministry official said.
The Special Commodity Levy has been reduced on Dhal by Rs.5 per kg, Chickpeas by Rs. 5 per kg, Black gram by Rs.25 per kg. Customs Duty on wheat grain waived to Rs. 9 per kg from the existing waiver of Rs.6 per kg.
Sugar has been brought under the Special Commodity Levy whereby the applicable taxes have on sugar also being reduced by Rs.10 per kg.
Accordingly, the commodity prices have already been reduced and there was no further need to bring down it, he added.