Private hospital bills to be VAT exempted: Mangala

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera handing out compensation – Pic by P.D. de Silva

The Government is expected to introduce a new measures to exempt VAT from private hospital bills from next week, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said over the weekend.  

“Private hospital bills will be exempt from VAT from next week,” said Samaraweera at a function held at the Divisional Secretariat Matara last Saturday to hand over the final installment compensation to those who suffered loss due to the May 2017 flood and deeds to alternate lands provided to persons who were displaced by the 2004 tsunami.

“In addition to providing free health services and medication at government hospitals this government reduced the price of essential medications, provides stents free of charge to heart patients and lenses to eye patients. We intend to provide further relief by exempting private hospitals from VAT from next week,” the Minister reiterated.

Speaking further the Minister said that every person resident in the Matara District who suffered loss due to the floods in May/June 2017 had been compensated by the Government irrespective of their caste, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation. 

“In reality more than 75% who have received compensation today would have voted for the ‘Pohottuwa’ at the last Local Government election,” the Minister quipped.

Over 200,000 persons in the Matara District were displaced due to the unexpected flood in May last year. The National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) assessed the damage incurred by 5,137 persons who suffered loss at Rs. 1,598 million.  Of the 5,137 affected the houses of 101 persons were completely destroyed by the ravaging flood waters. 

“Each claim was carefully assessed before compensation was paid. In earlier years every person affected by natural disasters were paid Rs. 25,000 each and those whose homes were totally destroyed were paid only Rs. 100,000. Furthermore Government servants did not qualify to receive compensation under the above schemes. I have been told that some of you have received as much as Rs. 1.7 million,” Samaraweera said.

Provincial Minister for Education, Land and Highways and SLFP’s Organiser for the Matara District Chandima Rasaputhra said that the people of Matara should not miss out on this golden opportunity at a time a when a Member of Parliament representing the Matara District holds the portfolio of Finance. 

“There is no hope that a Member of P+arliament from Matara would be elected as the Prime Minister in the near future and therefore we should make best use of this golden opportunity and forget about our political affiliations to work together to bring as much development to Matara,” he said

District Secretary Pradeep Rathnayaka and Divisional Secretary Darshana Wickremarachchi also spoke at the event.