🇱🇰 Southern Chambers Press Treasury to Clear Operational Bottlenecks

• Key Meeting: The Southern Province Chambers Forum met with Finance & Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando and Economic Development Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera to address mounting policy, regulatory, and administrative barriers. • Core Issues Raised: Medium and large-scale businesses highlighted critical constraints in taxation, customs, and regulatory processes that are actively impacting investment and expansion decisions. • Government Response: • Policy-level agreement has been reached on several key issues, with timelines for implementation currently under discussion. • Discussions included senior officials from Sri Lanka Customs and the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to directly address revenue and administrative hurdles. • Initial measures to resolve business concerns have already been initiated by the Treasury. • Business Sentiment: Representatives welcomed the prompt engagement from the Treasury, stressing the need for a predictable and enabling operating environment to support regional growth.