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Tuesday, 10 January 2023 02:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Electricity Users’ Association yesterday handed over a petition against the proposed electricity tariff hike by the Ceylon Electricity Board to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.
Noting that they have faith in the Commission and its Chairman who is fighting alone for the electricity users, said they expressed their confidence in the PUCSL in this regard.
The association also emphasised that the ‘6.9 million petitions’ has been signed by over 100,000 individuals.
Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thero who also submitted another petition said as Buddhist monks they could not be deaf, blind and mum to the unfair proposals of the Government.
“Today the stationary prices have increased by 300%, whilst the essential food has increased by 250%. As monks, who are also depending on the alms received by the public, it was unfair to turn a deaf ear to the majority of the people of the country. People are grappling to live another day amidst the unbearably high cost of living,” he explained.
PUCSL Chairman Janaka Rathnayake also said the Government is earning over Rs. 100 billion by way of indirect taxes involved in the power generation process.
He revealed that from coal imports alone, the Government earns about Rs. 40 billion through VAT and similarly it earns from oil and fuel imports as well.
“The CEB is not making losses. Before the tariff revision last year, the CEB had a cash flow of Rs. 19 billion and post-tariff hike it has increased to Rs. 35 billion per month. Against this backdrop, the Government needs to look into better financial management practices before going into a restructuring of the CEB.
“So that the Rs. 35 billion earned monthly from electricity users by the CEB is managed properly. The core of this illegal proposal is also to cover the financial mismanagement of the CEB,” he claimed.
Ratnayake said the bizarre fact of this illegal proposal is that the CEB is trying to increase the tariff of the low-user category, which accounts for about five million electricity users who take up below 90 units per month.
Therefore, the PUCSL Chief highlighted that the benefits can be passed on to the low-electricity users as the Government also earns sufficient income via imposing taxes on raw material imports such as VAT and PAL on crude oil, diesel and coal.
