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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Budget : Sugar coated bitter decoction -Tissa Attanayaka by Rohan Mathes The budget 2005 is a sugar-coated bitter decoction (kasaya) wrongly administered for the ailment and the people would see the repercussions after three months, claims the UNP Deputy Secretary General Tissa Attanayake. Tissa Attanayake told the Sunday Observer that the 19 million population of the country has not been redeemed of the spiralling cost of living by the budget. The middle-class has been badly affected by the depreciation of the rupee, further rise of fuel prices and the introduction of the new tax bases. "The wage hike of Rs. 2500 for the public service employees is virtually only Rs.1250, as an increase of Rs.1250 had anyway come from the last UNF government budget. By the extended hour of work in the public sector, extra earnings by employees by way of overtime would be now equivalent to the pay hike", he said. Attanayake also pointed out that the flour, fuel and fertiliser subsidy has not been accounted for and reflected in the budget and that is a deliberate violation of the monetary laws, just only to balance the budget. Attanayake added that prices of 140 more items had been increased overnight merely by gazette notification during the pre-budget period and that similar increases would follow shortly. Referring to speculation that more UNP stalwarts would defect to the government, Attanayake assured that the rumours were all baseless. "The UNP will grow from strength to strength despite defections if any", he quipped. However, other sources speculated that four more UNP MPs were likely to crossover to Government soon. |
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