Every story on the 2027 budget, grouped from 20 Sri Lankan outlets in English, Sinhala and Tamil.
Story summaries are written by AI from the original reports
1
Taxes & revenue
Speaking at the Trade Union Federation's national conference on 7 November at Colombo's B.T. Sirisena Grounds, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced several welfare schemes for the upcoming budget.
6
Taxes & revenue
Addressing the National Trade Union Conference in Colombo on 7 November 2026, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the 2027 budget, scheduled for presentation to Parliament next week, will revise the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax threshold.
1
Taxes & revenue
High-level government sources announced that the upcoming budget will provide tax relief on advance personal income tax for salaried employees, addressing objections raised by public and private sector workers since January 2023.
1
Taxes & revenue
The Government is unlikely to make major changes to existing taxes in the upcoming Budget, Trade Deputy Minister R M Jayawardena said on 2 November 2026.
6
Taxes & revenue
Speaking at a conference in Colombo on 31 October 2026, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the government will reduce certain taxes in the upcoming budget without compromising national revenue targets.
2
Taxes & revenue
Speaking on Tuesday ahead of the November 12 budget presentation, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning said indirect taxes are high, but ruled out surprise measures or implementing a property or wealth tax.
1
Taxes & revenue
The Sri Lankan government is committed to increasing the monthly personal income tax-free threshold to Rs. 200,000, as promised in its election manifesto, with Economic Development Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera stating this move is contingent on strengthening state revenue. This follows a previous increase from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 150,000, equivalent to an annual threshold of Rs. 1.8 million, and comes as President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced tax relief in the 2027 Budget. While the government aims to reduce tax rates and broaden the tax base, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) noted that government revenue rose from 8.2% of GDP in 2022 to 16.6% in 2025 but cautioned against immediate tax cuts due to challenges like uneven compliance. The IPS recommends that after the current IMF program ends in 2027, revenue strategies should prioritize increasing the share of direct taxes over the current 40:60 direct-to-indirect ratio by broadening the tax base and improving compliance.
