Tax exemption for Sri Lanka-England Test upsets Galle Municipal Council
SLC faced criticism from Galle fans when they raised the ticket prices to exorbitant rupees 5000 per day minimum, up by 10 times from rupees 500 when the previous Test was played in Galle © Getty Images
Colombo: March 28, 2012
The opposition group of the Galle Municipal Council laments that exemption of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka from entertainment tax had denied the council its due revenue.
Philip Nishantha and Kapila Kohombange, two opposition councillors claimed that a motion to exempt the game from entertainment tax had been defeated at a council meeting last week.
However the council’s government group at a meeting later had approved the motion for exemption. This followed a request from the governing body, Sri Lanka Cricket.
“Even if the motion was defeated we could still implement the request for exemption. We have forwarded the SLC’s request to the chief minister. The chief minister has the power to take the decision for exemption,” Methsiri de Silva, the Mayor said.
SLC faced criticism from Galle fans when they raised the ticket prices to exorbitant rupees 5000 per day minimum, up by 10 times from rupees 500 when the previous Test was played in Galle.
The opposition councillors claimed that exemption of entertainment tax of 25 per cent was a lost opportunity to raise revenue for the council. (PTI)