The government will abolish Value Added Tax on school books, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said, describing it as part of a wider effort to ease financial pressure on families, Hiru News reported.
Plans to remove the tax are already being drawn up, and the proposal is expected to be set out in detail in the upcoming Budget, the President said at a public rally in Nochchiyagama.
He linked the measure to the wider fiscal position, saying a stronger economy would allow greater investment in education and other areas critical to the country’s future.
The recruitment figure, and a number that has moved
Dissanayake also said the government would absorb 121,000 new recruits into the state sector, including around 23,000 teachers.
The headline total is consistent with what the government has said before: in July it set out plans for 120,000 public service jobs in 2026. The teacher component is not. That July plan put teacher appointments at 30,000, and in June the Department of Management Services approved the recruitment of more than 31,000 teachers for the year.
At 23,000, the figure the President gave on Monday is roughly a quarter lower than both earlier numbers. Hiru does not address the difference, and it is not clear from the report whether the smaller figure reflects a revised plan, appointments already made during the year, or a different counting basis.
Not reported
Hiru gives no date for the rally. The Nochchiyagama rally documented in the President’s Anuradhapura District appearances was held on Sunday 13 September, and this account was filed the following day.
The report does not say what VAT rate currently applies to school books, whether the exemption extends to stationery, exercise books or other school supplies, what the measure would cost in forgone revenue, or when it would take effect. It does not give a date for the Budget. Ada Derana also filed on the announcement but was unreachable behind a CloudFront block, and no other verified newsroom had the story at the time of writing.
