Parliament’s Committee on Ways and Means has called for Sri Lanka’s tax base to be widened, compliance improved and digital technology used more heavily across tax administration.
The committee met in Parliament under the chairmanship of MP Wijesiri Basnayake, with officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and the Inland Revenue Department attending, according to a statement issued by Parliament’s Department of Communication.
Members reviewed the 2026 tax plan, revenue collected up to June 30, revenue estimates, tax revenue broken down by category, the size of the existing taxpayer base and the level of compliance.
Digital systems in focus
Progress on the Revenue Administration Management Information System, known as RAMIS, was discussed alongside the taxation of digital services and the introduction of new technology intended to simplify tax administration.
The committee pushed for greater use of electronic services, better data sharing between institutions and further development of digital systems. It also discussed plans to strengthen RAMIS and to expand electronic registration, filing and payment facilities to make tax administration more efficient.
Officials told the committee that recent tax policy and revenue management measures have helped improve stability in the fiscal sector. Committee members said further reform is needed to sustain that progress.
Challenges identified
The main obstacles raised were bringing informal economic activity into the tax net, upgrading technological systems, integrating data across agencies and building specialised staff capacity for tax administration.
Widening the tax net has been a recurring theme in Sri Lanka’s post-crisis fiscal programme. The Inland Revenue Department crossed Rs. 1 trillion in collections by mid-May, and revenue agencies had reached half of the annual target by June 8. The department has separately warned of fines and jail terms for wilful defaulters.
The statement did not set out timelines or specific targets for the measures discussed.
