Electricity Tariff Hike Aimed at Passing Rs. 175 Billion Burden onto Consumers, Says MP Dayasiri Jayasekara

05-Jan-2026

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The proposed electricity tariff increase is intended to recover costs from consumers to fund the government’s plan for voluntary retirement of Ceylon Electricity Board employees, said MP Dayasiri Jayasekara.

Speaking at a media briefing in Kurunegala on Jan 3, he said Rs. 875 million per quarter would be charged to electricity consumers, amounting to Rs. 17.5 billion over five years.

He noted that the government had come to power promising a 30 percent reduction in electricity tariffs, with assurances that bills of Rs. 9,000 would be reduced to Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 3,000. 

Approximately 8 million consumers, he said, were misled by these promises.

However, the CEB has now proposed an 11 percent tariff increase to the Public Utilities Commission. One cited reason is the cost of a voluntary retirement scheme, funded through loans to be repaid by consumers.

Jayasekara argued that poor management, including failure to properly store rainwater during periods of heavy rainfall, has led to unnecessary costs. He warned that further tariff hikes would severely impact industry and said the government must take full responsibility for administrative failures.