2022-06-20
News Categories : Committee News
The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) directed its focus on the use of information technology by the Department of Import and Export Control and other government institutions that can contribute more towards government revenue.
Attention on this regard was drawn at the Committee on Public Accounts which met under the chairmanship of Hon. Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Member of Parliament recently (16).
The chairman of COPA is Hon. (Prof.) Tissa Vitarana, Member of Parliament.
Officials representing the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National Policies, the Excise Department of Sri Lanka, the Department of External Resources, the Department of Import and Export Control and Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) were present before this Committee held. Discussions focused on ICTA developing and advising on software for other departments and ministries.
The main focus of this discussion was on ICTA's involvement in the development of the licensing process of the Department of Imports and Exports, the computer program for integration of institutions and the development of the Revenue Administration Management System.
Discussions were held on the launch of the Institutional Integration Computer Program 2015 related to the licensing process of the Department of Imports and Exports, which is still in an unsuccessful state. Hon. Lasantha Alagiyawanna stated that he could not be satisfied with the role of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) in the development of this software. He further stated that ICTA does not provide any intervention or assistance to government institutions, especially those who do not have the knowledge to develop computer programs. He also said that this institution has the responsibility of equipping government institutions with information technology and integrating it with new technology.
There was also a discussion on the inability of the Inland Revenue Department to implement the Integrated Computer Program (RAMIS) for tax collection.
In addition, projects prepared by ICTA in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Excise Department and the External Resources Department were also taken into discussion.
Accordingly, COPA finally recommended that the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) submit a report by July 1st on the software developed for government agencies, the government agencies that advised and their current status.
Hon. (Dr.) Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Hon. Tissa Attanayake, Hon. Mohomad Muzammil, Hon. Duminda Dissanayake, Hon. Niroshan Perera, Hon. (Dr.) Upul Galappaththi and Hon. Weerasumana Weerasinghe were present at the committee meeting held.
2025-09-12
The Committee on Public Finance has granted approval for the 2026 budget estimate of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).This approval was granted during a meeting of the Committee held yesterday (Sep. 11th ) in Parliament, chaired by Hon. Dr. Harsha de Silva, Member of Parliament.During the meeting, the Chairman of the Committee pointed out that just as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka experience the financial independence, it is important to grant financial autonomy to institutions such as the Bribery Commission (CIABOC) and the Auditor General’s Department to ensure greater independence in their operations. He further stated that with such financial independence, these institutions would be able to function more autonomously, irrespective of which government is in power, and free from prevailing political authority. Accordingly, the Committee decided to inform the Minister of Finance, who is also the President, about this matter.Additionally, Hon. Dr. Harsha de Silva stated that the remuneration of the Chairman, Director General, and members of the Commission should be aligned with that of the President of the Court of Appeal. Therefore, as the salary of the President of the Court of Appeal is revised, the salaries of these officials should also be revised accordingly. The Committee Chair also noted that the necessary intervention will be made in this regard.Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna, (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Wijesiri Basnayake, Sunil Rajapaksha, Nimal Palihena, Thilina Samarakoon, and Nishantha Jayaweera participated in the meeting.
2025-09-12
For the first session of the Tenth Parliament, Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim was appointed as the new Chair of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA). This appointment fills the vacancy created following the resignation of Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senarath, who served as the Chair of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) for the first session of the Tenth Parliament, on 06.08.2025. The Committee convened in Parliament today (Sep. 12) to elect the new Chairman. For the position of Chair, the name of Hon. MP Kabir Hashim was proposed and seconded respectively by Hon. Members of Parliament J.C. Alawathuwala and Rohitha Abeygunawardhana. Subsequently, addressing the Committee, the new Chair stated that he expects to carry out his duties in a neutral manner, free from political bias, with the cooperation of all members. He further expressed his special appreciation for the work performed by former Chair Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senarath and stated that he expects to carry out the responsibilities of his office even more effectively. Moreover, the new Chair indicated that he is prepared to take the necessary measures to further systematize the functions of the COPA Committee by formulating new plans. The occasion was also attended by Hon. Deputy Minister Sugath Thilakaratne, Hon. MPs (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Rohitha Abeygunawardhana, J.C. Alawathuwala, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Hector Appuhamy, (Dr.) Kavinda Heshan Jayawardhana, Oshani Umanga, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Thushari Jayasingha, Attorney at Law, M.A.M. Thahir, Lal Premanath, Chanaka Madugoda, as well as Parliament officials including Director (Legislative Services) and Acting Director (Communication) M. Jayalath Perera.
2025-09-11
The Committee on Public Finance reviewed the country’s income, expenditure, and debt conditions during the first half of 2025. This took place at a meeting of the committee held in Parliament on the 9th September 2025, chaired by Honorable Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva. Accordingly, the Sri Lankan government has reported a strong fiscal performance for the first half of 2025 compared to the total revenue for the first six months of 2024, exceeding the mid-year target, officials from the Ministry of Finance informed the Committee. Presenting data, Finance Ministry officials pointed out that the total revenue collected from the half-yearly estimated income of Rs. 2,241 billion from January to June 2025 was Rs. 2,318 billion, which exceeded the half-yearly estimate by 3%. Meanwhile, the total government expenditure in the first half of 2025 was Rs. 3,467 billion, an increase of Rs. 367 billion compared to the expenditure in the first six months of 2024. The main reason for this increase has been debt servicing, which was Rs. 1,984 billion in the first half of 2025. Recurring expenditure on essential public services, including public sector salaries, pensions, social security programs such as ‘Aswesuma’ and ‘Samurdhi’, has also increased, Finance Ministry officials said. Furthermore, the Sri Lanka Customs Department has recorded a revenue of Rs. 996 billion between January and June 2025, recording a growth of 47% compared to the year 2024 (January - June). The revenue received from the import of automobiles contributed significantly to this growth, which had received Rs. 429 billion. Since the opening of vehicles for import, 220,026 vehicles have been imported into Sri Lanka so far, of which 154,537 vehicles have been cleared by Sri Lanka Customs, the Finance Ministry officials pointed out. Furthermore, the Hon. Members of the Committee also inquired from the Sri Lanka Customs Department about the issues faced by importers due to the time taken at Customs for container clearance activities of 9 - 10 days. Accordingly, the departmental officials informed the committee that a method is being developed to resolve the issue and complete the clearance of the relevant goods within 2-3 days. The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) also reported an increase, reporting an income of Rs. 1,040,388 million out of the estimated income of Rs. 1,022,691 million in the first half of 2025. Here, the departmental officials pointed out that TIN (Tax Identification Number) numbers have been issued for about 1.3 million Sri Lankans over the age of 18. Here, the Chairman questioned whether the expected economic growth target for this year can be achieved based on this data. However, Finance Ministry officials said that it can be assumed that economic growth will be around 3.1% this year. The Chairman of the Committee also instructed the officials to take steps to inform the Committee about the policy of the Ministry of Finance regarding the tax policy applied to cigarettes. The Committee also discussed the discrepancy between the forecasts made by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Finance regarding the country's foreign reserves at the end of the year. The meeting was attended by the Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Harshana Rajakaruna, Ajith Agalakada, M.K.M. Aslam, (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyaratne, Nimal Palihena, Attorney-at-Law Chitral Fernando, Wijesiri Basnayake, Sunil Rajapaksa, Champika Hettiarachchi, Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra, and Nishantha Jayaweera.
2025-09-10
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital appointed this subcommittee in order to take necessary measures aimed at creating young entrepreneurs through the National Youth Services Council. This subcommittee, which will be chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Sunil Rajapaksha, consists of Hon. Members of Parliament Chanaka Madugoda, Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kalaichelvi, and Sujeewa Dissanayake as its other members. The subcommittee was appointed at the meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi, which was held yesterday (Sep. 09) in Parliament. Accordingly, this committee is expected to hold discussions with various institutions and individuals in order to take more practical measures for the creation of young entrepreneurs through the National Youth Services Council and to report on the same. The committee chair recalled the individuals produced by the National Youth Services Council for various fields such as arts and sports, and emphasized the importance of treating this program of creating entrepreneurs for the youth community as a national program. Furthermore, the committee chairman inquired about the present status of the Youth Parliament conducted by the National Youth Services Council. Officials informed the committee that the Youth Parliament has currently been dissolved and that arrangements are being made to re-establish it by holding an election next year. The committee chairman emphasized the necessity of carrying out the selection process of members for the Youth Parliament with greater transparency. The following Hon. Members of Parliament participated in this meeting: Hon. Ajith P. Perera, Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan, Hon. K. Ilankumaran, Hon. Krishnan Kalaichelvi, Hon. Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney at Law, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Hon. Sujeewa Dissanayake, Hon. Chanaka Madugoda, Hon. Sanjeewa Ranasingha, Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran, and Hon. Sunil Rajapaksha.
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