LNP – Amendments will be brought to Finance Bill – AG

The Attorney General today informed the Supreme Court that several amendments will be brought to the proposed Finance Bill and the final version of the bill will be presented in court tomorrow.

Senior State Counsel Nirmalan Wigneswaran appearing for the Attorney General made these remarks when several Special Determination petitions filed challenging the constitutionality of the Finance Bill were taken up for hearing.

These petitions are being heard before a three-judge bench comprising Justice Priyantha Jayawardena, Justice Kumuduni Wickremasinghe and Justice Shiran Goonaratne.

Eight petitions have been filed so far against the Finance Bill which was placed on the order paper of Parliament on July 29. They are; Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, SJB Parliamentarian Eran Wickremaratne, JVP former Parliamentarian Sunil Hadunneththi, former Deputy Secretary of the Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) Ekeshwara Kottegoda Vithana, former UNP Parliamentarian Saman Rathnapriya, Nagananda Kodituwakku and Centre for Policy Alternative.

The petitioners are seeking a declaration that the Bill in whole or in part requires the approval by people at a Referendum and requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

The Petitioners alleged that the purpose of the said Bill is to extend immunity and immunity to the persons who have defrauded different kinds of taxes due under the revenue laws.