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VAT revenue collection: Maldives highest, Sri Lanka lowest
Sri Lanka has the lowest tax revenue collected through Value Added Tax (VAT) in South Asia while Maldives with a lower tax rate collects nearly 5 times more through its Goods and Services Tax (GST). In 2023, Sri Lanka’s VAT rate was 15%, which generated LKR 694 billion—equivalent to 2.5% of GDP—making it the lowest in South Asia. In contrast, countries with similar or lower VAT rates collected higher revenue. For example, Bangladesh, with a similar rate, collected revenue amounting to 3.6% of GDP, and Nepal, with a lower rate of 13%, generated 5.3% of its GDP from VAT in 2023. The Maldives stands out with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) that raises revenue amounting to 12% of GDP, despite having a lower average rate of about 12% (8% for general GST and 16% for tourism GST). Although it is termed “GST,” the system functions similarly to Sri Lanka’s VAT by allowing businesses to charge GST on sales (output tax) and claim credits for GST paid on purchases (input tax). Although the reported value of goods taxed under General GST and the Tourism GST rate is about the same, the Maldives secures twice as much revenue from its Tourism GST due to the higher 16% rate.
Featured Insight
VAT revenue collection: Maldives highest, Sri Lanka lowest
Sri Lanka has the lowest tax revenue collected through Value Added Tax (VAT) in South Asia while Maldives with a lower tax rate collects nearly 5 times more through its Goods and Services Tax (GST). In 2023, Sri Lanka’s VAT rate was 15%, which generated LKR 694 billion—equivalent to 2.5% of GDP—making it the lowest in South Asia. In contrast, countries with similar or lower VAT rates collected higher revenue. For example, Bangladesh, with a similar rate, collected revenue amounting to 3.6% of GDP, and Nepal, with a lower rate of 13%, generated 5.3% of its GDP from VAT in 2023. The Maldives stands out with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) that raises revenue amounting to 12% of GDP, despite having a lower average rate of about 12% (8% for general GST and 16% for tourism GST). Although it is termed “GST,” the system functions similarly to Sri Lanka’s VAT by allowing businesses to charge GST on sales (output tax) and claim credits for GST paid on purchases (input tax). Although the reported value of goods taxed under General GST and the Tourism GST rate is about the same, the Maldives secures twice as much revenue from its Tourism GST due to the higher 16% rate.
Featured Insight
VAT revenue collection: Maldives highest, Sri Lanka lowest
Sri Lanka has the lowest tax revenue collected through Value Added Tax (VAT) in South Asia while Maldives with a lower tax rate collects nearly 5 times more through its Goods and Services Tax (GST). In 2023, Sri Lanka’s VAT rate was 15%, which generated LKR 694 billion—equivalent to 2.5% of GDP—making it the lowest in South Asia. In contrast, countries with similar or lower VAT rates collected higher revenue. For example, Bangladesh, with a similar rate, collected revenue amounting to 3.6% of GDP, and Nepal, with a lower rate of 13%, generated 5.3% of its GDP from VAT in 2023. The Maldives stands out with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) that raises revenue amounting to 12% of GDP, despite having a lower average rate of about 12% (8% for general GST and 16% for tourism GST). Although it is termed “GST,” the system functions similarly to Sri Lanka’s VAT by allowing businesses to charge GST on sales (output tax) and claim credits for GST paid on purchases (input tax). Although the reported value of goods taxed under General GST and the Tourism GST rate is about the same, the Maldives secures twice as much revenue from its Tourism GST due to the higher 16% rate.
Featured Insight
VAT revenue collection: Maldives highest, Sri Lanka lowest
Sri Lanka has the lowest tax revenue collected through Value Added Tax (VAT) in South Asia while Maldives with a lower tax rate collects nearly 5 times more through its Goods and Services Tax (GST). In 2023, Sri Lanka’s VAT rate was 15%, which generated LKR 694 billion—equivalent to 2.5% of GDP—making it the lowest in South Asia. In contrast, countries with similar or lower VAT rates collected higher revenue. For example, Bangladesh, with a similar rate, collected revenue amounting to 3.6% of GDP, and Nepal, with a lower rate of 13%, generated 5.3% of its GDP from VAT in 2023. The Maldives stands out with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) that raises revenue amounting to 12% of GDP, despite having a lower average rate of about 12% (8% for general GST and 16% for tourism GST). Although it is termed “GST,” the system functions similarly to Sri Lanka’s VAT by allowing businesses to charge GST on sales (output tax) and claim credits for GST paid on purchases (input tax). Although the reported value of goods taxed under General GST and the Tourism GST rate is about the same, the Maldives secures twice as much revenue from its Tourism GST due to the higher 16% rate.
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Expenditure
Insights and analysis of government expenditure.
Total SOE Losses in the first four months of 2022 Outweigh Annual Losses in 2021
During the first four months of 2022 the cumulative loss of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) amounted to LKR 860 BN. This figure outweighs the annual loss of SOEs in 2021. The top 3 contributors to the increase of the...
From The PF Wire
Source:
Daily mirror
January inflation hits fresh high of 14.2%
Sri Lanka’s consumer prices hit a 13-year high in January, as the country continues to grapple with import restrictions, foreign exchange shortages and failed harvests.
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Source:
Daily Mirror
Govt. to infuse US$ 500mn to SriLankan Airlines as...
The government will infuse as much as US$ 500 million to SriLankan Airlines during the next five years adding much required capital to the national carrier, which is undergoing restructuring since last year, while retaining control under the...
Read More
Source:
The Island
JVP says CMC losing Rs 320 million from new contra...
The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) had incurred a loss of Rs. 320 million from a contract awarded for collecting and transporting garbage, JVP Municipal Councilor Hemantha Weerakoon said yesterday.
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Insight on Expenditure
New Year “Kevili” Table Costs 7 Percent...
The cost of preparing a traditional kevil...
Tax concessions account for half of the...
All sorts of tax concessions (reported as...
Government introduces new expenditure an...
On 05 December 2024, the government prese...
How is the election budget spent?
The General Election is approaching, and the government expects to spe...
The price of parliament- What does it lo...
In 2022, the most recent year with detail...
Poor transparency in large scale infrast...
Section 9 of the RTI Act No. 12 of 2016 m...
Economic Transformation Act's 2.3% Prima...
The Economic Transformation Act (ETA), en...
2023 Budget’s expenditure limit overshot...
The Ministry of Finance Annual Report, re...
2023 government expenditure surge matche...
Government spending increased by 20% in 2...
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Featured
Summary: Budget 2024
The 2024 budget expects budget deficit for the year 2024 to increase by 19%.
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Debt Digest - March 2023
This article was compiled by Dr. Nishan de Mel and Professor Udara Peiris. Dr. Nishan de Mel is the Executive Director of Verité Research and an eco...
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An Overview of IMF Extended Fund Facility
This article was compiled by Professor Udara Peiris and Raj Prabu Rajakulendran. Udara Peiris joined Oberlin in the fall of 2022. He was previously a tenur...
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