Historic Economic Turnaround: Sri Lanka Shatters Revenue Records as New Year Approaches
By Lions Roar News Business Desk
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (December 31, 2025) – In a dual display of fiscal strength, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the nation’s two primary revenue-collecting agencies yesterday, confirming that Sri Lanka has achieved its most successful financial year in history. The Sri Lanka Customs and the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) both reported record-breaking figures for 2025, providing a significant surplus to fuel the 2026 economic agenda.
🛳️ Event 1: Record Surplus at Sri Lanka Customs
During a morning session at the Sri Lanka Customs auditorium on December 30, Director General S.P. Arukgoda revealed that 2025 has become the highest revenue-earning year in the department’s history.
- Revenue Milestone: Customs exceeded its initial target of Rs. 2,115 billion, achieving a massive surplus of approximately Rs. 300 billion.
- Future-Proofing: This surplus allows the government to enter 2026 with a strengthened treasury.
- Modernization: President Dissanayake discussed the 2026 Digitalization Plan, aiming to eliminate “red-flagged” container delays and modernize cargo inspection systems to ensure transparency and efficiency.
Addressing the staff, the President noted that the 2022 economic collapse was largely due to a lack of both Rupees and Dollars. He credited the current stability to these revenue gains, which he said provided the “financial backbone” needed to manage recent natural disasters.
🏛️ Event 2: A Historic First at the Inland Revenue Department (IRD)
Later in the afternoon, President Dissanayake made a historic visit to the Inland Revenue Department—marking the first time in the department’s 93-year history that a sitting President has visited the premises.
- Record-Breaking Growth: Commissioner General Rukdevi Fernando announced that the IRD collected Rs. 2,203 billion in 2025, exceeding the annual target by Rs. 33 billion.
- 15% Increase: This total represents a 15% growth compared to the previous year.
- Target for 2026: The IRD has been set an ambitious target of Rs. 2,401 billion for the coming year.
President’s Warning to Tax Evaders
The President issued a stern warning that the “culture of political and personal favors” in tax collection is officially over.
“Tax collection is not repression; it is the legitimate right of the State. The era where individuals could evade taxes based on political or personal connections has ended. We will enforce the law regardless of status,” President Dissanayake emphasized.
🚀 The 2026 Economic Vision
The President outlined that these economic victories must now flow down to the general public through:
- Infrastructure: A complete transformation of the national transport system.
- Social Services: Uninterrupted funding for the health and education sectors.
- Digitization: The introduction of the e-invoice system and third-party data exchange to simplify the tax process for citizens.
