People taxed without parliamentary approval - UNP

The UNP charged that the government was taxing the people without obtaining parliamentary approval.Levies could not be increased as and when the authorities felt like it. It was imperative that the due process of law was adhered to, UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a news conference in Colombo on Tuesday.


 Many taxes had been imposed on the masses without seeking the legislature’s consent. Such a procedure was null and void, he said.

 The MP said that the Rajapaksa regime was resorting to illegal methods and imposing more burdens on the public who were struggling to make ends meet, while the President and his legion of Ministers were globetrotting and living luxurious lives.

 Over twenty bills, meant to increase the cost of living, had not been sanctioned  by parliament. The taxes that were to be imposed would be deemed as unlawful and illegal, Attanayake observed.

 Commenting on reports that the Halal certification issue had been resolved, he said that the UNP welcomed it.

It was good to hear that attempts by extremist elements to destroy the friendly relations between the Muslim and Sinhala communities had been prevented, he observed.