U.S. Tax Relief List Does Not Include Sri Lanka: MP Saman Rathnapriya
09-Jul-2025.
Former United National Party (UNP) MP Saman Rathnapriya stated that Sri Lanka does not appear on the list of countries granted relief from the tax increases imposed by the U.S. President.
He remarked that had Ranil Wickremesinghe been in office, he would have negotiated directly with President Trump to resolve the issue.
Commenting on the government’s claim that Sri Lanka would receive relief from these taxes, he further noted that world leaders have engaged directly with President Trump to obtain concessions from the tax hikes. For example, Indian Prime Minister Modi reportedly negotiated directly with Trump to secure tax relief, and Vietnam succeeded in reducing a 46% tax to 20%.
"Similarly, reports suggest that President Trump signed agreements to reduce tariff increases for another 20 countries. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Sri Lanka is among them. Despite various statements by government ministers, based on their past record of false promises, we find it hard to trust these claims“.
“According to the information we have, Sri Lanka is not on President Trump’s tax relief list. So what does the government intend to do? A significant portion of our garment exports go to the United States. If we do not obtain tax concessions, our garment factories will be severely impacted, threatening the livelihoods of their workers“.
“Therefore, the government must take prompt action. Though government officials and ministers claim they have met with U.S. trade representatives to resolve this, we do not believe this will yield results“.
“Previously, when a similar issue arose, then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe coordinated with Indian Prime Minister Modi during the U.S. Vice President’s visit to India and successfully resolved it. We know President Anura Kumara does not have that level of experience. Had Wickremesinghe been in office now, he would have explored every avenue to meet President Trump and secure relief“.
