Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry and the Inland Revenue Department have held high-level talks to broaden the tax base, simplify tax filing, and cut bureaucratic delays, the ministry announced.
The meeting, chaired by Deputy Minister of Economic Development Nishantha Jayaweera, brought together Inland Revenue Commissioner General Rukdevi Fernando and other senior officials.
Officials were instructed to encourage voluntary tax compliance and accelerate public awareness programs to improve understanding of tax obligations. The Deputy Minister also emphasized the need to reduce inconveniences faced by taxpayers when filing returns and to simplify the required forms.
He further directed the Inland Revenue Department to present a practical, results-oriented plan to meet the government’s annual revenue targets.
The discussion centered on strategies to achieve the revised tax revenue goals for 2025.
According to the 2026 budget, the government has increased its 2025 tax revenue target from Rs. 4,590 billion to Rs. 4,725 billion — a 2.9% rise — driven by higher expected income tax collections and increased levies on goods and services, including vehicle import taxes.
The income tax target for 2025 has been raised by 3.7% to Rs. 1,210 billion, while the target for goods and services levies has increased by 6.5% to Rs. 2,953 billion.
