President calls for urgent Customs reforms to support digital economy goals

Thursday, 10 July 2025 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

High-level meeting focuses on identifying long-term solutions to persistent inefficiencies, technological bottlenecks in Customs system
Reviews performance of ASYCUDA system, National Single Window service
Underscores importance of developing fair, efficient and customer-friendly solutions

President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Tuesday called for urgent reforms to streamline Customs procedures, asserting the need for legislative updates and faster digital integration to support the Government’s goal of establishing a digital economy by 2030.

The directive came during a high-level meeting at the Presidential Secretariat with senior officials from the Sri Lanka Customs, which focused on identifying long-term solutions to persistent inefficiencies and technological bottlenecks in the Customs system.

A review was conducted of the ongoing performance of the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) system and its existing shortcomings. In addition, the National Single Window initiative, intended to streamline cross-border trade by enabling traders to submit regulatory documents through a single digital entry point, was also reviewed, with concerns raised over its slow adoption and interoperability gaps between agencies.

The discussion focused on digitalisation as a means to address these issues and assessed the progress of measures already implemented.

Amid growing public criticism over recent e-commerce import procedures and inconsistent taxation practices, the President underscored the importance of developing fair, efficient, and customer-friendly solutions. He stressed that Customs modernisation should not only address institutional needs but also serve citizens and businesses, particularly in the rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape.

The meeting was attended by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Senior Presidential Adviser on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponso, Sri Lanka Customs Director General Sarath Nonis, and other officials from the Ministries of Finance and Digital Economy.

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