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| Friday, 23 May 2003 |
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Customs TUs propose Revenue Service By Channa Kasturisinghe The joint union front of the Customs, Inland Revenue and Excise departments have proposed to the Government to set up a Revenue Service in place of the proposed Revenue Authority. The trade unions following discussions with a Committee chaired by the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Charitha Ratwatte and the head of the three Revenue Departments have expressed their opposition to the setting up of the Revenue Authority claiming that it would have a negative impact on the national economy and the job security of the employees. The Convenor of the Joint Trade Union Front Vipula Minuwanpitiya told the Daily News yesterday that their alternative proposal to the Government was to set up a Revenue Service of which the Board of Management should be chaired by the Treasury Secretary and the majority of its members should be from the public service. "We proposed at our recent meetings that the Board of Management should include the heads of the three departments and two members appointed by the Finance Minister with experience in finance, taxation, accounting, public administration, law or any other relevant field," Miniwanpitiya said. He said the Government should not appoint anybody who has vested interest in this field. According to the Draft Bill on the Establishment of the Revenue Authority of Sri Lanka prepared by the Government the affairs of the Authority was to be administered and managed by a Board of Management consisting of a Chairman and four other members appointed by the Minister, with the concurrence of the Constitutional Council. They were to be selected from among persons who have had experience or shown capacity in finance, taxation, accounting, public administration, law or any other related field. The Bill was due to be gazetted, late this month after consultations with the Trade Unions. Minuwanpitiya said the trade unions have received a favourable response from the Government to their proposal to appoint the majority members of the Board of Management selected from the public service. "We expect the Government to respond positively to the other proposals too. The Committee chaired by the Treasury Secretary has agreed to review the proposals and prepare a draft before the next meeting in the coming weeks," he said. |
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