The Budget 2019 was tabled today by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
To read the speech in full click here
Budget 2019: Finance Minister’s Speech In All Three Languages
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Real Revolutionist / March 5, 2019
If possible, summary of what he uttered please.
People don’t have time to waste.
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Abdul Kader. J / March 6, 2019
Real Revolutionist:
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Okay as you expected, Parippu, Hala, Luhunu, Aalmesso did not increase. Vehicles, foreign liquor, cigarettes increased. (no need to read, this has been the story since my childhood, because they know the rich get richer and the poor get poorer year after year)
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Vehicles, foreign liquor and cigarette buyers continue to buy no complaints. Parrippu and aalmesso consumers only complain..
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Real Revolutionist / March 6, 2019
Abdul Kader
The logic behind this is,
Men who pretend to be rich never stop buying expensive drinks & cigarettes leaving less money for wives to buy parippu, hala, loonu & halmasso.
They are the complaining parippu hal alamasso consumers.
They together with their kids are hungry & angry & curse the finance minister.
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Fathima / March 6, 2019
RR,
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Someone else does the shoppings for you?
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Real Revolutionist / March 6, 2019
Fathima
Amazed
Generally wives do marketing for provisions in average SL families. They decide the family requirements & might pressurize hubs in expenses.
There may be exceptions like yours where hubs decide every thing, even clothing.
Wives may be free to buy but hubs free to censor.
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Fathima / March 7, 2019
RR,
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“Generally wives do marketing for provisions in average SL families. They decide the family requirements & might pressurize hubs in expenses.”
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I thought whoever gets the bigger collection of weekly “pagawa” does the shopping in an average SL family? Am I wrong darling?
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critical thinking / March 5, 2019
well done Hon. Minister, There should not be any place for racism or discrimination in Sri Lanka: we need to build up Lakan identity not racial or linguistic or cultural or religious identity: let all communities keep their religion homes and temples not in politics, or public administration: For the nation building process of Sri Lanka cooperation and .support of each community or all communities are important and imperative, When different community pay taxes they do not it in the name of religion, or race but in Sri lankan rupees, there is no sinhalese rupees, tamil rupees, or Muslim rupees. if all Sri Lankan rupess are one and same for all why we discriminate?
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Abdul Kader. J / March 5, 2019
Who said language can bring peace among masses? If so, Tamils and Muslims should have been living in peace or fight together against Sinhalese. But Muslims always took Sinhalese side, why?
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Recently published news says that there are over 50,000 Malays in SL. Had he got a chance to speak in Malay language, he would have done that too
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Real Revolutionist / March 5, 2019
Language may make proper understanding among masses thus paving the way for peace or in case a section is stupid due to some reasons it may make it worst.
If Muslims & Tamils are @ loggerheads one or both must be stupid.
Why should Malays speak Malay Language in Sri Lanka (except in private quarters).
If so sought please go back to Malaysia.
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Abdul Kader. J / March 6, 2019
“Muslims & Tamils are @ loggerheads one or both must be stupid” – Funny, this birdbrain pot trying to call kettles black…
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rbh / March 6, 2019
Real Revolutionist
Indian have more than 22 language Chinese people in India, bangladeshi/pakistani etc, in india no one is asked to go back having such language.
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Real Revolutionist / March 6, 2019
rbh
Sitting on your brain?
So go to India & ask for food from a boutique to receive poison to long live underground there.
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rbh / March 7, 2019
Real Revolutionist
India is exporting food world wide and parippu and tata vehicle and not poisoned
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Samuel Jayaweera / March 6, 2019
It is just lanken muslims in general are not active enough to fight for their own rights. They just would do anything for their selfish gains.. They dont care about politics.
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At the time, that innocient girl- Risana got beheaded for no reason in SAUDI few years ago, I myself as a sinhalaya did whatever we could being out of the country. But those muslim ministers also in today cabinet did not take even that serious.
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Just imagine that bugger from colombo, Asath Salley behaves today. We held him a good guy. lately on he has turned upside down for some selfish gains. Those abusive monks led by BBS (facist racial outfit built by former Rajaakshe regime) are being promoted by Asath Salley today. I think lanken muslims in general should come forward to protect their community. They just live up their day today life, but being active in politics.
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Abdul Kader. J / March 6, 2019
Samuel Jayaweera, the worst selfish people in SL are Muslims by large.
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Ajith / March 5, 2019
Critical thinking,
Your question is right but this nation or the governors of this nation could not give any answer to this question because the majority of the people of this nation continue to like or in favour of discrimination. Politicians always promise that will give equal rights to all, reduce the income gap between poor and rich, respect the rule of law and justice but in real once they come to power they forget these promises and only focus on themselves about how to become richest and powerful forever. Since 75% of this country speak Sinhala and Buddhists, they need to get their votes to come to power. So they need to discriminate between races and religions. The result is riots and wars. There is no difference between this budget and previous rulers budget at election times. Mahinda & Sirisena paid billions as bribe to MPs. This budget is another of bribe to certain groups of people. People should think about asking for elections every year or every month.
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JD / March 5, 2019
As I said earlier, until the elections are over, Sri lankans will have christmus. they will vomit what they eat or had after the long christmus.
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JD / March 5, 2019
Sri lankans have got really nice goodies bag including Rs 2500 for govt servants.
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Abdul Kader. J / March 6, 2019
“nice goodies bag including Rs 2500 for govt servants” – Rs. 2500 / month is peanut for most of them. Ever been to RMV?
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craig / March 5, 2019
Customs import duty and Cess on imported go-karts and go-kart tyres to be removed.
I just cant understand this! Who benefits from this? Is somebody special being appreciated? Sad that the much needed refurbishment of our present railways system and coaches have been ignored. Most train rides are a nightmare for commuters.
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JD / March 6, 2019
Mangala is doing so many things for the International community. Instead of expanding the Srilankan universities funding more admission spaces. He gives scholarships to the Best Students of A/L exmination.. that is how they develop the Sri lanka.
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Mano / March 6, 2019
When it comes to tax and money business, Talking in Tamil and about Tamils means nothing but exploiting the gullibles.
Will the Buddha Sangha give its blessings to the Finance Minister’s ‘MAGNANIMITY’ towards the Kalla thonies?
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Good Sense / March 6, 2019
The 213 numbered para budget speech, without commenting on the contents of it, is well presented and in all languages used in this country. This is a positive sign. However, we have noted in the past, that even translating constitutions there are glaring differences in content, so much so, people have entertained doubts as to whether a mis-translation was committed to create mischief. Hence the minister must satisfy himself as to whether the translation to other languages is a faithful one, because of either poor or mischievous translation a lot of misunderstandings have taken place. Let us hope the translations are faithful and wish that the nation is proposed of a sensible financial plan for its upkeep.
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JD / March 6, 2019
Those who believe in Politicians, particularly the Sri Lankan politicians and political system is stupid. Penthouse Ravi while commenting on the budget gives the idea that they can cook some figures and present whether they implement it or not. Even the Salary increases are in July, just a few months before the election. They present the revenue in humongous figures but where do they money when Sri lanka is only importing. So who pays the loan back when they gave a Christmus budget looking like Santa came. Some Tax breaks and funds look questionable and are for whom. It is like making some specific businesses rich. They have the humongous goody bags but do not say how much debt that will be. IMF/MCC/WB all came to check out it. IMF is there to distribute the american dollar all over the world, so their debt is internationalized when they crash everybody crashes.
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thamizh / March 6, 2019
so how much of the budget is allocated, again, to prolong the military occupation/militarization of Tamil north and east?
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rbh / March 6, 2019
Cost Down Syndrome (condition) Is the focus has been a better quality of life and ease of living for the people A traditional list of immediate “basic needs” is food Clothing and shelter, but also sanitation, education, healthcare, and internet. Relief for farmers and individual taxpayers middle class has been vastly strengthened over the Future, Employment Scenario
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macapagal / March 6, 2019
There is nothing special in the budget to satisfy the Middle class and the poor man. Since elections are getting closer the state sector employees have been given some cash reward. what about the pensioners. no one cares for them.
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ramona therese fernando / March 7, 2019
Part One of the Obvious Fallacies:
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“Enterprise Sri Lanka” would become a larger eco-system for start-ups and small businesses to thrive. But it won’t be environmentally friendly, will it! What a sneaky way of using pure and good ecological terms to promote industrialization.
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Worried about country budget going towards the two ports in the North that will surely amalgamate us with the Indian giant………. land-bridge will surely follow.
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On top of that is the removal of para-traffs, thus flooding our markets with foreign goods. How on earth will that bring down the cost of living? Then the bluffer tells us about the importance of supporting local products after appeasing India. How the hell are local products going to compete with cheaper Indian goods? Yet he wants to magnanimously build up the local industry to force-produce what exactly? It like: Bring in the foreign non-tarrifed items. Make the Lankans worried about it. Then, and only then the incentive will be formed for stupid Sri Lankans to start producing. Absolutely no respect for his fellow hard-working countrymen. So what will the imports be hey? Bollywood trans-fashion garb so we would be modernized?
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Ok, ok….so there’s the Enterprise Innovation Program for technology to produce items in India so as to sell to Sri Lanka. Too late! India already has this. So they are not going to buy or use our technology.
Now all the hard work of the masses, especially in the labour farms of the Middle East will be at the mercy of the newly fangled money shifting things like scriptless Sri Lanka development bonds.
More to come.
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ramona therese fernando / March 7, 2019
Part 2 : Drop the Plans
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72. All the FDI’s that came from loans and grants from IMF and USA is being used by people like Sangkara to build high rise apartment building and hotels in rural fishing villages. So after 50,000 fishermen lose their livelihoods and have to go to the ME, we might be able to pay back these loans.
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85. US dollars aren’t to be converted to LKR, thus adding to the FDI into our country!. That’s the part that is going to be used to secure the FTA with Singapore (via Tamil Nadu). All for the glory of the Clinton aspiration.
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95. Residential visas for foreigners who invest US $400,000 for more in condominiums. These will be all the snoops, spy’s and deliberate destroyers of our system. After they have taken their money’s worth from out of the country + 10x the investment value, they will kiss goodbye to SL forever. “Cess”- (in Scotland, Ireland, and India) a tax or levy. So this means a great many will come from the British Isles. We can’t trust any of these at all.
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100. The infusion of technology will come from US’s old computer systems that they made an error with in education of school students. Too much money was spent on school systems, and nothing at all came from computer learning of school courses. Time-honored traditional teaching by human teachers is the new way forward. Plus we will have to pay back the loans and services we get for these computers.
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ramona therese fernando / March 7, 2019
Part 3. More Fallacies
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101. Analytical and creating learning came out of a time when America did not know where to go. With the death of their farmlands, they had no food and no incentives to look after her masses. Inventions that they created (out of assimilation of colonial knowledge of the rest of the work) jump-started them. Hippy days, flower-power free-sex and drugs was meant to inspire new creative insights. And you want Sri Lankans to be like this. We have our farming, fishing and traditional industries. We need to rote re-learn them. These will sustain us for another 1,000 years. Some analytical and creative learning is of course necessary to promote our own inheritance.
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103. Why should Education Excellence students serve for only 15 years in Sri Lanka? It is made to sound like a prison sentence. They should learn the arts of the Western countries and be grateful to come and implement any of the extraneous system (if indeed valuable) for 50 years. Truth is, if we join socialist Russia, we would be getting a far cheaper education deal, and gaining knowledge most apt for our land.
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103. The best pre-school we can ever have is home-base with family look-after. But if it is to be crèches for children whose mothers go to the Middle East, then it would be a noble thing. But no, he’s talking about indoctrinating children at an early age on the American system.
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106 and 107 sound good things.
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113. Agriculture, animal husbandry, are the good things. But let’s hope it is nothing to do with the Green Revolution of GMO’s and inorganic substance. Also, they are only 1/50 out of the rest of the occupations that he speaks about. They should be the main occupation.
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ramona therese fernando / March 7, 2019
Part 4 : More Shocking Plans
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114. The army has been bought by the UNP maybe. But thanks to them for coming forwards.
115 – 124. A Healthy Society can come about only by traditional living. Imagine polluting and stressing out Lankan with Western extraneous methods. Then country budget that could have been used to cure the environment, is now used in 10-fold, to cure those sick from the very environment that Mangala proposes.
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125-126. Now these sound like good things.
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127-149. Making our Cities Smarter. OMG! Just when I was envisioning the country scene of traditional livelihoods. Mangala talks about building up the city structures. The cost will be Enormous. Release all the congested city-people into their natural farmlands, and cleaning the city will be far cheaper and productive deal. Nothing mentioned about the greening of Galle Face. All are essential works of course, but one wonders where the loans that we have to pay back will come from. Sigh, guess, our people will have to work in the ME labor camps even harder, hoping all the while that one or two generations later, the Mangala plan will come to fruition.
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150. Hopefully, the elite will done some of their wealth (TAXED of course) to give the public sector employees the salaries they deserve, and not from the Clinton-foundation loans. And hope that-way the rupees will be shared by all in society.
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ramona therese fernando / March 7, 2019
Part 5. And it goes on
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161- Social Safety Net: The Samurdhi program was for traditional occupations. No wonder they turn to other political parties vis-a-vis the UNP! Mangala’s plan is to buy them all out. Whose army of funds is he going to do that with, it is wondered? But let’s hope that this money will be socially spread within these communities. But no. They will have to pledge allegiance towards the providers of the loans, and pay them back. No free deal at all.
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165 – 174. Clean, Green and a Sustainable Environment. Now the plan is to industrialize the whole place, and then sit cleaning up. Imagine the money wasted on this? And also the forced labour (with no pay other than credit points), for students to involve in. So moot and depressive.
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175- Religion, Arts and culture. These can only come out of people’s happiness and cohesively. Forcing money on these in the midst of the stress of extraneous Western and Indian money-making processes will kill all too soon.
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182- 194. Reconciliation through Economic Empowerment. Why even talk about these? Once the two northern harbours are built up, trade will India will give the place a big impetus (minus anything towards the southern parts of course). It’s harks back to the separation issue. Then the sea-bridge will ensue of course.
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195- 213. Revenue. All sound good actually. How to bell all of these things, it is wondered? The devil will be their implementation.
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The end.
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JD / March 7, 2019
Mangala is spending Rs 400 million to build Toilets everywhere in the urban areas. So, one his friends build the toilets. an american company which will hire Drivers with a big Bowser truck run the company and Sri lankan graduates probably will wash the toilets. that is happening even with MANPOWER agency another american Temporary employment agency.
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