Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said ,that the government has decided to sell 15 essential goods at concessionary prices. The PM said the government is ready to provide the concessions as soon as the Cabinet paper is tabled.
The 15 goods which will be sold at concessionary prices include sugar, masoor dhal, potatoes, onions, chillies, salmon, green gram, garlic, chickpeas and sprats.
PM further said the government is prepared to provide concessions to the public if the prices of goods increase infinitely in the future. The PM made this statement at a United National Party membership promotion campaign held in Central Colombo.
Prime Minister said the prices of goods increased before the implementation of the Value Added Tax or VAT.
Accordingly, he said an investigation will be conducted to look into who increased the prices of goods before the imposition of the VAT amendment. He said the public will be notified through the media on goods which have not been included in the VAT amendment list.
Premier measures have been taken to direct price control officers to conduct raids on individuals who sell goods at a higher price. He said discussions will be held with private businessmen who are in favour of selling essential goods at a concessionary price.
He requested such businessmen to notify the government if they in favour of selling goods at a concessionary price.
