CoPF finds 30% vehicle imports stuck at Customs

Friday, 12 September 2025 00:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Inquires into clearance delays of 9-10 days
Customs officials say resolving issue to clear goods within three days

An official statement yesterday said that the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) found that Customs had not cleared about 30% of the total vehicles imported into the country in a performance review covering the first half of 2025.

According to a statement from the Parliament Secretariat, Sri Lanka Customs had recorded a revenue of Rs. 996 billion between January and June 2025, recording a growth of 47% from a year ago.

The revenue received from the import of automobiles contributed significantly to this growth at Rs. 429 billion. Since the vehicle import restrictions were lifted around 220,026 vehicles have been imported into the country, of which 154,537 vehicles were cleared by Customs, the statement said.

CoPF also inquired into the Customs clearance delays of 9-10 days and officials said the Department was resolving the issue to clear imports within three days.