Anura Allocates 72% More Funds than Ranil
07-Oct-2025.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has allocated 11.37 billion for presidential expenses under the 2026 Appropriation Act.
This represents a 72% increase compared to the expenses for former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2024.
United People’s Power (UPP) Member of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekara stated that both the President and the government must publicly explain the reason for such a significant increase in allocation.
Speaking at a press conference in Kurunegala on October 6, he further noted that the expenses for former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the 2024 Appropriation Act amounted to 6.6 billion rupees.
In 2025, under Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s first revenue-expenditure plan, this had been reduced to 2.9 billion, with the government launching a major campaign around this reduction.
However, the 2026 Appropriation Act now submitted to Parliament has increased it to 11.37 billion.
This marks a 72% increase over the allocation for Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2024. It is hoped that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake now understands that, after assuming office, he will need a certain amount of funds to implement various projects.
In 2024, the allocation for the Prime Minister was 1.15 billion, increasing slightly to 1.17 billion in 2025. For 2026, the allocation has been reduced to 0.9 billion, for which gratitude is expressed to the Prime Minister.
However, the allocation for the President has increased by approximately 6 billion in just one year. What is the President’s explanation for this? Those who had harshly criticized past allocations for Presidents under the JVP must now acknowledge the reality. No President receives funds simply to fill their coffers.
Additionally, in the past, it was entirely incorrect for the Finance Ministry to be under the President, they argued. But what is happening today? Lacking expertise in economics, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is independently allocating funds through the Finance Ministry according to his own preferences. Both the President and the government must answer for such actions.
