ඇමරිකාවෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට අලුත් බද්දක් පනවා නැහැලු

Deputy Minister of Labour, Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, emphasizes that the rumors and myths circulating in society about a new tariff being imposed on products manufactured using forced labor imported into the United States are completely false. He further confirmed that the US has not imposed any such tax against Sri Lanka at present.

The United States has proposed a tariff revision affecting countries worldwide with the aim of increasing the efficiency of its supply chains and bridging the trade gap. Under this, they have launched a comprehensive investigation into whether forced labor is used in the production processes of various countries. Accordingly, this proposed tax is planned to be introduced targeting about sixty countries worldwide where preliminary information indicates the involvement of forced labor in supply chains, and Sri Lanka's name is also included in that list. However, the Minister points out that this is merely a proposal and not a tax that has been implemented yet.

This situation is not unique to Sri Lanka, and many other leading countries worldwide are subject to the American investigation process. Notably, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, representing the Asian region, are included in this proposed list. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that highly developed nations such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, and Singapore are also included.

The Sri Lankan government has already initiated discussions with US authorities at a diplomatic level regarding this proposal. Furthermore, a special committee headed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Trade has been appointed to address this matter, and cabinet approval has also been granted for it. The government is taking steps to confirm that forced labor is not used in Sri Lanka's supply chains and to provide all relevant information transparently to American investigation teams. Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando firmly stated that a very strong legal system is in place in the country to prevent forced labor, and there is no room for such illegal practices to be included in the production process.