Recently Sri Lanka Traders Association along with other traders carried out protest campaign against VAT increase. Followed by this, the Customs has allegedly sealed around seven clothes shops belonging traders, who have led protests against the VAT increase, reports say.
Later, three of the shops have been permitted to reopen on a cash deposit. These shops have been accused of having imported clothing illegally.
The owners of these three shops are leaders of the Sri Lanka Traders Association – President Sarath Dharmasiri, Secretary Indika Liyanage and Vice President R. Samarakkody.
Convener of the organization to protect the Customs W.M.R. Wijekoon strongly condemns the finance minister for having used the Customs in this manner to intimidate the traders who have led the VAT protests.
This has taken place in the absence of the Customs director general, by a ministry official who has been appointed to act for DG, Wijekoon says.
He said the organization has decided to complain to the President and the Prime Minister against this use of the Customs to take political revenge.
However, the finance ministry claims investigations have revealed these traders had been importing clothes without paying the taxes, which led to a loss of revenue amounting to billions of rupees.
