Economy

Sri Lanka state university lecturers still on strike against IMF-backed tax hike

Friday March 10, 2023 1:31 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Academics in Sri Lanka are on a strike for the second day running against an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed personal income tax hike, with academic activities of a number of state universities put on hold as a result.

The strike will continue till March 15 when, according to a collective of a trade unions and professional associations representing a number of sectors including higher education, the economy will see a total shut down if the government does not resolve their grievance.

The privately owned NewsFirst network reported on Friday March 10 that academic activities in state universities around the island have been disrupted by the strike.

Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) Chairman Shyam Banneheka was quoted by NewsFirst as saying that all members of FUTA have stopped engaging in academic activities for the second day running.

“We remind the government once again to provide a speedy solution to this without letting this situation continue,” Banneheka told the news network.

He added that FUTA will join the other unions and professional associations in intensifying the trade union action by mid next week if the matter is not resolved and that the government must take responsibility for those inconvenienced by it.

High-income earning public servants in higher education, medical, banking, ports and other sectors have already threatened to up the ante in ongoing trade union action against the new progressive tax regime.

FUTA media spokesman Charudaththa Illangasinghe told reporters on Thursday March 09 that a decisive moment has come in their campaign.

“There can be no more waiting or biding of time. A decision has to be taken by March 15 or there will be no more water supply, no electricity and no ships coming in. Universities will remain closed,” he said.

Illangasinghe urged the government to introduce a fairer taxation system, adding that the unions are still open to discussion.

“This is the first switch that we switched off,” he said, referring to recent protests organised against the tax policy.

“We will turn a new switch off every day and on the 15th it’ll be time to turn the main switch off,” he added, warning the government not to be caught off guard or caught unawares and claim that people were inconvenienced by the trade union action.

“Don’t blame our doctors, our banks, our port. The government must take responsibility,” said Illangasinghe.

Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva told parliament on Thursday that 17 ships en route to the Colombo Port had turned back as a result of a recent anti-tax protest organised by port unions. He also claimed that one protesting port worker earns over 170,000 rupees a month.

Seventeen ships turned back after Colombo Port anti-tax protests, claims minister

Trade unions and professional associations in Sri Lanka representing high income earners in the public and private sectors have been protesting a recent hike in personal income taxes that sees the cash-strapped government collect from anyone earning over 100,000 rupees a month.

Sri Lanka’s new tax regime has both its defenders and detractors. Critics who are opposed to progressive taxation said it serves as a disincentive to industry and capital which can be invested in business. They argue that a flat rate of taxation is implemented where everyone is taxed at the same rate.

Others, however, contend that the new taxes only affect some 10-12 percent of the population and, given the country’s economic situation, is necessary, if not vital.

Critics of the protesting workers argue that most of the workers earn high salaries that most ordinary people can only dream of, and though there may be some cases where breadwinners could be taxed more equitably, overall, Sri Lanka’s tax rates remain low and are not unfair. (Colombo/Mar10/2023)

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Markets

Sri Lanka’s shares slip on profit taking and selling pressure

Wednesday June 7, 2023 5:18 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s shares closed lower on Wednesday after four consecutive gains in previous sessions spiraled into selling interest and profit taking, an analyst said.

The main All Share Price Index was down 0.28 percent or 24.39 points to 8,722.06, this is the lowest the index has been since May 02, while the most liquid index S&P SL20 was down 0.40 percent or 9.92 points to 2,468.44.

“The market was gaining in the previous sessions and there is selling and profit taking present today, due to continuously being on green,” an analyst said.

In the previous sessions the market was seeing gains, due to lowered policy rates and low inflation stimulating buying interest and driving the sentiment up, an analyst said.

Sri Lanka’s inflation in the 12-months to May 2023 has eased to 25.2 percent from 35.3 percent a month earlier according to a revised Colombo Consumer Price Index calculated by the state statistics office.

The central bank cut the key policy rates by 250 basis points to spur a faltering economic growth as inflation was decelerating faster than it projected.

“There are gradual improvements in the market sentiment, with positive sentiments coming in from lowered policy rates and inflation,” an analyst said.

The market generated foreign inflows of 12 million rupees and received a net foreign inflow of 18 million rupees, due to low share prices and discounted shares followed by a dividend announcement.

The market generated a revenue of 554 million rupees, this is the lowest the turnover has been since May 10, while the daily turnover average was 1 billion rupees. From the total generated revenue, the banking sector contributed 120 million rupees, Diversified Banks contributed 115 million rupees and the Capital Goods Industry generated 78 million rupees.

Top losers during trade were Sampath Bank, Commercial Bank and Aitken Spence. (Colombo/June06/2023)

Bonds & Forex

Sri Lanka Treasuries yields plunge, 12-month down 318bp

Wednesday June 7, 2023 4:04 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Treasuries yields plunged across maturities at Wednesday’s auction with the 12-month yield falling 318 basis points, in one of the biggest one day falls, data from the state debt office showed.

The 3-month yield fell 244 basis points to 23.21 percent.

The 6-mont yield fell 339 basis points to 21.90 percent, along with the 12 months to 19.10 percent.

The short-term yield curve is inverted.

The central bank last week cut its policy rate 250 basis points in a signaling move but is not printing money to enforce the rate cut.

The debt office sold all 140 billion rupees of offered securities. (Colombo/June07/2023)

Bonds & Forex

Sri Lanka forex reserves rise US$722mn in May 2023

Wednesday June 7, 2023 3:48 pm

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves grew 722 million US dollars to 3,483 million US dollars in May 2023 from 2,761 million US dollars in April, official data showed as deflationary policy and weak credit reduced ‘above the line’ outflows.

Sri Lanka lost almost all its reserve in over two years as the central bank sold reserves and printed money to keep rates down (sterilized reserves sales) including borrowed dollars from India.

Gross official reserves fell to a low of 1,705 million US dollars in September 2022.

Sri Lanka’s central bank hiked rates in April 2022 to slow credit and also stopped printing money after it ran out of borrowed Asian Clearing Union dollars from India.

Sri Lanka’s gross official reserves are made up of both monetary reserves of the central bank and any balances of the Treasury account from loans or grants it gets.

The central bank’s net foreign reserves are still negative after busting up borrowed reserves to suppress rates. By April (before the collection of reserves in May) the central bank’s net reserves were negative by 3.7 billion US dollars.

In May alone 662 million US dollars were bought from the market, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said.

Borrowing dollars through swaps and busting them up, was invented by the US Federal Reserve as it was printing money and breaking the Bretton Woods system in the early 1970s.

Sri Lanka received a 350 million US dollar tranche from the Asian Development Bank and 331 million US dollars from the IMF to the Treasury for budget support.

The loans can be sold to the central bank by the government to generate rupees and spend. However, since credit is weak, not all the inflows go out of the country particularly as the central bank is conducting deflationary open market operations on a net basis.

By allowing the rupee to appreciate unlike in previous episodes of recovery in an IMF program, after a bout of money printing, the central bank is bringing down inflation – in some cases absolute prices – and restoring confidence and easing the ‘pain’ of ‘monetary policy’ or stimulus.

Related

Why is Sri Lanka’s rupee appreciating?

Though exports are falling, tourism revenues are also picking up.

The budget support loans, tourism receipts less the reserve collected will widen the trade deficit. Building foreign reserves involves lending money to the US or other western nations and is similar to repaying foreign debt. (Colombo/June07/2023)