Sri Lanka Government Has NOT Decided Yet To Allow Motor Vehicle Importation 

දිනපතා සත්‍ය කරුණු දැන ගැනීමට අපගේ WhatsApp සමුහයටමෙතනින් එකතුවන්න.

Sri Lanka imposed a vehicle importation ban a few years ago amid a severe economic crisis and declining dollar reserves. While the economy is on the path to recovery with the removal of import restrictions on some of the items, the ban on vehicle imports persists.

However, recent rumours suggest that the government is considering a partial relaxation of this ban, possibly reflecting a strategic effort to balance economic stimulation. This is our investigation into the truth of those rumours.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts in Sri Lanka are spreading news that the government is going to allow the import of light vehicles between 1000-1300cc.

#SriLanka to allow small vehicle imports soon

Government to partially relax vehicle import restrictions by allowing to import vehicles with engine capacities of 1000 CC and 1300 CC -SundayTimes
🇱🇰🚗🚙

— Market News🇱🇰 (@MarketNewsLK) January 4, 2024

Archived

Some mainstream media, like newspapers, published similar news items and such news items can be read here.Archived

There were some similar posts on FB also.

FB| Archived

We decided to do a fact-check on these.

Fact Check

State Minister of Finance Statement: The claim is partly true. The State Minister of Finance addressed the issue at a media conference held at the Presidential Media Centre in Colombo on January 8, 2024. The minister clearly stated that the government has not taken any decision on allowing the import of light vehicles in the specified range (1000-1300cc). The government has appointed a committee to look into the matter, but no decision has been made as the report from the committee is pending.

Committee Appointment: The minister mentioned that a committee has been appointed to examine the issue. This indicates that the government is actively considering the matter, but as of the statement, no decision has been reached.

Government's Intention: The minister clarified that while the government does not want to keep restrictions for a long period, there is no immediate plan to lift the restrictions. The removal of restrictions may happen sometime in the future, but it is not expected in the near future.

The minister's media conference can be watched below.

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Conclusion:

The government of Sri Lanka has not made a decision to allow the import of light vehicles between 1000-1300cc as of the statement made by the State Minister of Finance on January 8, 2024. A committee has been appointed to review the matter, and until the committee's report is received, no decision will be taken. Therefore, the claim is partly true, but the key point is that no decision has been made at the time of the statement. Citizens should await the committee's report for further updates on this matter.