Plantation company agreements should not be extended beyond 2042, says MP Shanakiyan

14-Nov-2026

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has indicated that the agreements with plantation companies would be extended beyond 2042. However, if the agreements continue to be extended, the provision of land to the Malaiyaha Tamil community will remain merely a distant dream. The Government should not make such a mistake, said Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK).

He made these remarks while participating in the first day's debate on the 2027 Budget in Parliament on 13 November 2026.

Speaking further, he said:

"Our Malaiyaha Tamil people, who share an inseparable bond with us, have placed their trust in this Government and the President. However, this Government has betrayed their trust.

"During the domestic debt restructuring process, a 16 per cent tax was imposed on the funds held in the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees' Trust Fund (ETF). The plantation community considers these savings to be their financial security for the final years of their lives.

"When President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was in the Opposition, he strongly opposed the imposition of a 16 per cent tax on the retirement savings of plantation workers. We also opposed it. However, the 2027 Budget has not removed this 16 per cent tax.

"Many people in the Malaiyaha Tamil community are unaware that a portion of their salaries is being deducted as tax. A deduction of 14 per cent is being made. This is entirely unacceptable.

"The President has stated that the agreements with plantation companies will be extended beyond 2042 instead of being terminated.

"If the agreements with plantation companies continue to be extended, the provision of land to the Malaiyaha Tamil people will remain an unfulfilled dream. The Government must not commit this mistake."