Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Labour, Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, told Parliament on Friday (25) that 25,508 duty-free vehicle permits had been issued to public servants since the suspension of vehicle imports to Sri Lanka.
Answering a question raised by Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, the Minister said those permits had been issued as of 30 June 2025, but no decision had yet been taken on whether vehicles could be imported under those permits.
MP Dassanayake urged the government to introduce a system where public servants could import duty-free vehicles or compensate them.
Dassanayake also suggested that the government consider offering such relief in rupees rather than foreign currency, given the economic crisis.
Minister Fernando, however, said economic decisions had to be made cautiously. He added that only 2,043 permits had been issued so far in 2025, compared to 5,373 in 2020, 2,972 in 2021, 3,340 in 2022, 5,718 in 2023, and 6,062 in 2024.