State Minister defends Liquor license reinstatements, citing revenue concerns amid Tax disputes

State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Parliament today (April 2) that it is not possible to suspend liquor licenses for a long period of time as the state revenue may be lost.

This statement came in response to an accusation from Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, who claimed that liquor licenses were being reinstated to companies before they had fully settled their outstanding taxes.

Furthermore, the State Minister clarified that the actual situation regarding tax defaults differs from what has been presented by the Ways and Means Committee.