Sri Lanka awaits positive U.S. tariff decision

Sri Lanka’s Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, stated that Sri Lanka is expected to officially receive a positive response regarding U.S. tariff concessions within the next few days, as a result of discussions held between Sri Lanka and the United States.

He made this statement at a media briefing held yesterday (July 6) at the Department of Government Information.

The United States had suspended the implementation of reciprocal tariff measures it had introduced for around 100 countries, including Sri Lanka, for a period of 90 days. These measures are scheduled to be reactivated on July 9, 2025.

U.S. President Donald Trump has already signed the relevant documents for the imposition of new tariffs, which are set to come into effect on August 1, 2025.

Commenting further at the media briefing, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance said that several rounds of discussions had been held through diplomatic channels.

He noted that Sri Lanka was considered to be in a favorable position during those discussions but added that the final decision would not be based solely on Sri Lanka’s situation.

He emphasized that the United States would make its decision by taking global circumstances into account.