Paint men want 5% tax removed

Hiran H. Senewiratne

The Paint Manufacturers Association of Sri Lanka (PMASL) urged the Government to withdraw the five per cent tax imposition on paints apart from other taxes for the industry to survive. Association President Mizver Makeen said this tax levy places an additional burden on local paint manufacturers.

“It is said that 99 per cent of raw materials are imported and with all that, Sri Lanka is self sufficient in paint. This five per cent tax has negatively impacted on the entire industry,” Makeen said at a media briefing yesterday.

The Association recommends imposing a Cess on imported paints by removing the five per cent tax on local products to improves the local paint industry, which provides a livelihood for more than 25,000 people in the country.

Makeen said local paint manufacturers are concerned that the negative growth pattern will snowball into several other areas of the industry in particular, employment a key component of the industry.