|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Budget - kudos all round The euphoria of the general public and other segments of society was captured by Sunday Observer staffers Rohan Mathes, Ranga Jayasuriya, Jayantha Sri Nissanka, M. P. Muttiah and Anura Maitipe when they contacted them soon after Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama unveiled the maiden budget of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government. The Director General of the Employers' Federation of Ceylon (EFC) Gotabaya Dasanayake told the Sunday Observer that they were pleased with the budget, as while making provision for an increase in wages of the government employees, it had not intervened in the wages of the private sector. Gotabaya Dasanayake said, "It is noted that the Finance Minister in his budget speech has given due recognition to the various mechanisms prevailing in the private sector establishments for wage fixation, including collective bargaining with trade unions and the machinery available under the Wages Boards Ordinance, in order to adjust minimum wages. "We are also pleased at the tax concessions given in respect of compensation payments in cases of voluntary retirement schemes.", the Director General added. The President of the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) Surath Wickremasinghe said that the budget proposals were construction-friendly and most of the proposals submitted by the Chamber and its constituent National Construction Association of Sri Lanka had been accepted or accepted with minor amendments. He also proposes 'customs duty exemptions' to facilitate the flow of new machinery and technology to the country, a 'cess' to be charged from Contractors and credited to a Special Construction Development Fund. The Chairman of the Brandix Group of Companies and the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Ashroff Omar said that the Apparel sector was happy about the budget proposals as what they had asked for, had been recognised and granted. "We look forward to working together with the government and overcome the challenges we would have to face with the abolition of the 'Quota system' in 2005", Ashroff Omar said. R.M. Krishnasamy, President of the Agricultural Plantation Workers Congress welcomed the budget saying that the government had allocated Rupees 900 million to the development of housing and infrastructure in the plantations. S. Arulsamy, Member of the Central Provincial Council and Administrative Secretary of the Up-country Workers' Front said this budget had proved that this government was not an exception in the step-motherly treatment meted out to the plantation workers. He said that the budget did not speak about the situation of the 1.5 million plantation workers. PLOTE leader D. Siddharthan said that the budget was people-friendly. He welcomed the allocation of more money to higher education which would be beneficial to the people of the North and East. However, he expressed concern over the increased allocation to the defence. He doubted whether the government was preparing for another war. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
