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CEB is seeking a 6.8% tariff increase to cover it's losses amidst protests against power sector reforms.

Debt.lk transforms scattered data into a unified source, using government information + verified for accuracy and transparency.

Lessons from previous fishermen’s pension scheme as a new one is proposed

China remains one of Sri Lanka’s largest economic partners, with growing trade relationships, tempered by project delays and IMF-driven investment reforms. What lies ahead for Sri Lanka–China relations in this evolving economic and geopolitical landscape? Explore the latest insights in the sixth edition of the Sri Lanka–China Economic Brief!

Sri Lanka’s current Value Added Tax (VAT) framework has not kept pace with the growing volume of cross-border digital transactions. In response, the government is now moving forward with a proposal to extend the standard VAT rate of 18% to digital services provided from abroad to consumers in Sri Lanka. Arutha’s latest brief unpacks this new policy to better understand its implications.

Rehana Thowfeek reflects on her visits to Australia’s Productivity Commission (PC) and Office of Impact Analysis (OIA) in this paper. She contrasts Sri Lanka’s opaque policymaking processes to that of Australia, which enforces a systematic method of policy development that prioritises stakeholder consultations, data and evidence and accountability.

Rojie Ekanayake explores the potential of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in addressing the long-standing issues in Sri Lanka’s public bus network, namely, poor safety, accessibility and comfort. Drawing on experiences from India and Pakistan, she highlights how BRTs, though promising faster and more efficient travel, can succeed only through careful planning and context-specific implementation.

SL has used tax exemptions to attract foreign direct investment for decades with limited success.

Sri Lanka may be a small player in global trade, but the recent US tariff hike is a big wake-up call.     "Sri Lanka obviously cannot flatten its trade deficit of over US$2 billion by simply buying more from the US. Further negotiations are possible, but a beneficial bilateral deal seems far from the horizon. Transshipping is not feasible. A 30% tariff looms. Repercussions are significant."

This is the first instalment in a series of publications that take a deep dive into the relationship between the Sri Lanka and China in the backdrop of the debt restructuring negotiations following Sri Lanka’s first ever sovereign default. This issue of the Sri Lanka-China Economic Brief takes a look at several key areas including the intricacies of debt negotiations, developments in trade and investments as well as diplomatic ties in the face of tensions in the Indian Ocean

With US-China tensions on the rise, Sri Lanka navigates its relationships with the global powerhouses. What does the future hold for Sri Lanka–China ties amid these shifting geopolitical dynamics? Explore the latest insights in the fifth edition of the Sri Lanka–China Economic Brief.

සෞඛ්‍යය, අධ්‍යාපනය, පිරිසිදු කිරීම, යටිතල පහසුකම් වැනි සේවා වැනි බොහෝ සේවාවන් ප්‍රමාණයක් තීරණය කරන ගාමක බලවේගයක් වන්නේ මේ පළාත් පාලන ආයතනයි. එනමුත් මේ ක්‍රියාවලියේදී ඡන්දය ලබා දීමට අමතරව ඔබට සම්බන්ධ විය හැකි ආකාරය පිළිබදව ඔබ දන්නවද? ඒ අයවැය සම්පාදනය කිරීමේ ක්‍රියාවලිය තුලිනි.

Sri Lanka’s debt negotiations conclude as a new government under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake takes office. His early months have seen several state visits, including to China. What lies ahead for Colombo-Beijing relations?

In keeping with Arutha’s aim of sharing nonpartisan, accurate information and research insights, we have complied a series of proposals for consideration in the national budget for 2025. We believe that these measures would enable Sri Lanka to address urgent issues including revenue generation, inequality as well as the provision of essential goods and services to the public. The full list of proposals can be accessed below.

As wealth inequality increases globally, sentiments in favour of taxing the wealthiest in society continue to gain momentum. Although Sri Lanka experimented with taxes on wealth shortly after its independence, many of these measures have since been abolished. There are only a few minor taxes on assets at present, and these contribute little to government revenue. This begs the question: What should taxing wealth look like for Sri Lanka? Arutha’s newest publication “Understand

China Export-Import Bank has become the first of Sri Lanka’s bilateral lenders to finalise foreign debt negotiations. Meanwhile diplomatic relations continue to evolve with the election of Sri Lanka’s new government. Find out more on these latest developments in the third issue of the Sri Lanka – China Economic Brief.

“Career & Care: Supporting Women Who Power Our Economies” is the first issue of the series, Arutha in Focus. This compilation features three articles written by Yenuli Ranaweera and Rojie Ekanayake, originally published in The Morning newspaper, that focus on women in Sri Lanka’s workforce. The articles discuss care work, labor force participation, and the challenges faced by women in the workplace.

Sri Lanka is fast approaching a Presidential Election against a backdrop of substantial economic challenges, including high living costs, complex debt negotiations, and a range of reforms. Presidential candidates and political parties have put forth several economic policies and campaign pledges aimed at addressing these urgent issues.

Yolani Fernando and Umesh Moramudali from Arutha recently contributed to the report, The Political Economy of Debt, funded by The Asia Foundation. This publication focuses on the political economy of South Asian nations and its effects on public debt dynamics. The chapter on Sri Lanka delves into the structural issues that led to the country’s first ever sovereign default in 2022.