Bolt From The Blue For Illegal Garage Operators

By Nirmala Kannangara

The Preventive Division of the Sri Lanka Customs will investigate the possible loss of revenue in the case where the STF raided a motor garage  at Pannipitiya functioning as a massive reassembling plant. Customs await the courts notification regarding the case in order to begin to investigations as to whether the country has lost tax revenue for selling illegally assembled vehicles.
The plant was raided by the Special Task Force (STF) on August 19, Police Spokesperson SP Prashantha Jayakody told The Sunday Leader.
The alleged assembly plant- New Isuru Eranga Motors of 348, B.D. Kulatunga Mawatha, Makumbura, Pannipitiya was raided on a tip off and six workers including its owner were arrested and  produced before the Homagama Magistrate according to SP Jayakody.
“At the time of the raid there were six assembled vehicles while chassis, engines and other vehicle parts for 16 more vehicles were discovered at the scene,” claimed SP Jayakody.
When asked whether the case has been forwarded to the Sri Lanka Customs for an investigation to ascertain whether the country has lost tax revenue for selling assembled vehicles, SP Jayakody said that it is up to the court to notifythe customs.  Sources from the Preventive Division Sri Lanka Customs told The Sunday Leader that no sooner the matter is forwarded to them would they commence their investigation and determine if these parts have been imported as spare parts or  come to the country through illegal means.
“If these parts have been brought to the country through customs we could find out whether they have paid duty taxes or whether the importer has violated custom laws. In the event of a violation of custom laws,the country would have incurred a  loss of several millions of rupees in tax revenue,” said the sources.