Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake says that the no-confidence motion to be moved against him by UPFA opposition group members poses no challenge.
Responding to queries of journalists during a public event today, the Minister said that the no-confidence to be moved against him by some opposition MPs would not pose any threat as the charges leveled were baseless.
Karunanayake challenged the opposition UPFA members to come out with credible facts and figures to prove their charges without resorting to baseless slander.
He also said that as proposed in the budget close to 6% allocation has been made for the development of education and challenged the UPFA opposition members to prove otherwise.
Speaking further, the Minister said, “Through this budget we restored many privileges that have been denied to the people during the past 11 years. It is said that this no-confidence motion is to be moved by a group who lined their pockets with public funds. Since they are no longer able to abuse public funds, they have resorted to these methods. I don’t consider this as a challenge in any way.
Some say that the budget has given nothing to the people. Still some others claim a no-confidence motion would be moved. However, from the very next day of the budget, the people have felt the relief given through the budget. Investments have been increased. Small and medium scale enterprises have been rejuvenated. “
Karunanayake went on to say that rumours of an impending increase in water, electricity and telephone bills due to 2016 budget proposals too are without any basis. He assured that the government would never heap unnecessary burden on the people.
Pot Shot / November 25, 2015
Dear Ravi,
As much as I am disappointed in your entire government in all aspects of accountability , governance and nepotism (which will soon supersede MR’s record) the opposition does not have a foot to stand on to move a no confidence motion against you. At least not yet. They were no better and the people haven’t still forgotten their wicked atrocities.
But the day of judgement and wrath of the people will soon arrive at your government’s door step.When you guys still have the chance to change the course of your governance style to fulfil the people’s expectations, just do it or go home.
Pay heed to all the comments on social media by the very people who voted you guys in. They are angry and distraught by the pathetic display by all of you. Starting with MS his son, his brother, Arjuna Mahendran’s case, Arjuna Ranatunga appointing his brother to SLPA for playing 2 test matches for Sri Lanka, then you appointing your brother-in law to head SLIC, the ministers who are already taking bribes and appointing their kith kin to be ministry secretaries and the list goes on endless…….all in just 11 months of rule. I wonder what 5 years will bring us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Pygmalion / November 25, 2015
But the Stock Market is still to take off!
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EDWIN RODRIGO / November 25, 2015
I don’t know about others but I love this Aya weya. I work in the Middle East, but still this government has increased my salary by 10% already. With this budget I am sure that I will enjoy an increase everyday.
It tempts me to say: Who needs a salary increase when you have a budget like this?
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R.M.B Senanayake / November 27, 2015
The Opposition is making a mountain out of a molehill. This is not the stuff that calls for a No Confidence motion. The Minister has made a reasonable budget without pampering to the populists.
It is a difficult task to draw up a budget because of the wrong mind set of the people created BY OUR IRRESPONSIBLE POLITICIANS.
Hats off to Minister Ravi Kay for treading a difficult path without succumbing to populism. He is emerging to be a statesman of the future
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Upali Wickramasinghe / November 29, 2015
Mr. R.M.B.Senanayake.The budget is a farce.They had offered sops to the masses but hit them very hard in actual fact.Two vegetable that I buy regularly had shot up in price since the budget by 58%.
If the govt is seriously interested, and no govt since 1977 had been interested, they could have tackled the problem of the cost of importing fuel.Look at the figures for 2014;CRUDE OIL Rs 187,760 Mn.Refined products Rs 391,651 Mn, Coal 20,739 Mn LP Gas Rs 25,876 Mn Total
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Upali Wickramasinghe / November 29, 2015
Mr. R.M.B.Senanayake.Sir,The budget is a farce.They had offered sops to the masses but hit them very hard in actual fact.Two vegetable that I buy regularly had shot up in price since the budget by 58%.( that was based on the days price)
If the govt is seriously interested, and no govt since 1977 had been interested, they could have tackled the problem of the cost of importing fuel.Look at the figures for 2014;CRUDE OIL Rs 187,760 Mn.Refined products Rs 391,651 Mn, Coal 20,739 Mn LP Gas Rs 25,876 Mn Total Rs 626,026,000,000.00. This would have saved our skin, instead what they have done is the similar to what the Saudi Govt is attempting to do to that poor Sri Lankan woman.
Incidentally, since Dr.Janaka Ratnasiri wrote to the Island, the Central Bank web site had withdrawn the page Titled: Economic and Social Infrastructure- Performance of the Energy Sector – table 34.which provided the data on the import of fuel.
If the govt is interested this import can be substituted in full within five years.The investment is not high and it will provide employment with substantial income to the ladies seeking employment in the middle east and to the educated unemployed.The project can be started this year itself.The substitute is Ethanol for cars and buses, Butanol for petrol vehicles and also Hydrogen for the Fuel cell vehicles.The technology for the last two will bring in at least US $ 100 billion over a short period, by selling such technology to at least the low income countries.
The govt had encouraged the import of electric vehicles.It is the work of an idiot? Whether Carbon Dioxide is generated at the tail pipe end of the car or at the flue gas end of the diesel run power plant, the generation of Carbon Dioxide will continue.
We could start with the surplus paddy purchased and also grow paddy in dedicated areas for bio fuels.It is said that over 100,000 acres of paddy lands are lying fallow in the Southern Province itself.
Since January this year, I have attempted to get the Former Minister of Power and Energy Mr.Champaka Ranawake to initiate this project and to initiate studies into areas which will bring us income with no response from him.
Instead our govts since 1977 had been hood winking the people with mathata thitha.
You Sir may be from my generation, if so you will remember that it was in the 1950s and later that medicinal drugs formulated as Tablets and capsules came into being. Prior to that it was what we called ” arishta type” both in the east and west.
My point is that Buduhamuduruwo never banned the use of alcohol, what he preached against was the drunkeness.If he preached a total taboo on alcohol, the flip side of that concept was that if you fall sick, you should die without medication as all medication was based on alcohol.This is a concept common to all religions.
The govt had shot itself in the foot with the imposition of high taxes on the production of alcoholic beverages.What should have been done is to hold the potable alcohol in a Customs/ Excise Bonds and get the manufacturer( bottler) to pay all taxes due prior to the release of stock.Since most of the alcohol used is imported, the warehouse could be handled by the exporter.Considering the quantities involved, it is ideal for the country and the exporter.
Taxes had been reduced on hydrogen and helium based cars.A hydrogen car ( fuel cell based car) was projected to cost US$ 1,000,000 by Prof Alexander Farrel, The current price is US $ 650,000 + ie is Rs 650,000,000. How many in this country can afford such prices? Have the present crop of politicians been ex- Angoda inmates.
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Upali Wickramasinghe / November 29, 2015
Mr.R.M.B.Senanayake, there is a further under current popular with our politicians (i) FDI (ii) Privatisation.
FDI:- I would like to invite your attention to two areas where FDI destroyed well established and prospering local industry.viz the Sugar cane Industry in the Baddegama area, which had existed over 150 years. This was killed with the arrival and departure of a Foreign Investor -who started a distillery in the area and killed the local buyers of sugar cane and then left our shores leaving the Sugar cane grower in jeopardy. The other industry that was destroyed was the passion fruit based industry.A foreigner offered fancy prices and cornered the industry and later dropped the price to rock bottom and destroyed the industry.
Privatisation: Since the new govt took over in 1977, over 150 + state owned industries were sold to the private sector.Out of those 150 + only about 5 industries are functioning. DCSL is one that had survived.What happened to the BCC, the Plywood factory, the Cement Industry, the Paper factory, the Kantale Sugar factory, the Ceramic factory?
Our country had been run by half baked lunatics since 1977. If these were there the employment potential would have been very high.If there were short comings they should have been corrected.
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Truth / December 2, 2015
It looks as if the budget estimates will go haywire because of the need to pay the market value of the vehicle permits to public servants and the scheme to provide the equivalent of the vehicle permits at least to the new MPs. Hence, it may be necessary to introduce a 10 to 20% income tax surcharge for the year 2016/17 and gradually reduce the surcharge in two or three years. At the same time all new investors can be offered the 15% tax rate, to attract Foreign Direct Investment.
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