Sri Lanka Customs crossed the Rs. 1 trillion revenue mark this week, achieved in the first 132 days of 2026, Customs Spokesman Chandana Punchihewa said on Wednesday — the fastest path to the milestone in the agency’s history.
Customs revenue reached Rs. 995.8 billion on Monday, representing 45.1% of the Rs. 2,207 billion annual target for 2026, official data showed. The milestone follows four consecutive months of exceeding monthly targets.
Total revenue in the first four months exceeded the cumulative target by 33.7%, reaching Rs. 919.3 billion against target. Year-on-year, first-four-month collections jumped 49.8% compared with the same period in 2025.
Last year, Customs collected a record Rs. 2,551 billion against a revised Rs. 2,241 billion target, representing a 64.2% jump from 2024’s Rs. 1,553 billion. The 2026 target was set 13.5% below the 2025 outcome because a significant drop in car imports is expected as the post-liberalisation backlog clears.
Customs attributes the revenue jump to stronger enforcement, improved valuation practices and a rebound in import volumes after years of contraction. Tighter monitoring of under-invoicing and misdeclaration has also contributed.
Following the 2022 economic crisis, imports collapsed under foreign-exchange conservation measures. With reserves stabilising and import controls easing, customs collections from import duties, excise and other levies have risen steadily.
Customs is now one of the Treasury’s largest single revenue contributors, providing a critical cushion as the government works to meet fiscal targets under the IMF-supported programme.
