President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has revealed that the government intends to introduce additional relief measures targeting Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax as part of the upcoming national budget, offering fresh hope to salaried workers across Sri Lanka who have been burdened by rising tax obligations in recent years.
Relief for Salaried Employees
The announcement signals a continued effort by the Dissanayake administration to ease the financial pressure on working-class and middle-income earners, who have borne a significant portion of the country's tax burden during its ongoing economic recovery period.
PAYE tax, which is deducted directly from employees' salaries by their employers before wages are received, has been a source of growing discontent among private and public sector workers alike, particularly following adjustments made to tax thresholds in previous budget cycles.
Budget Expectations Running High
The President's pledge ahead of the budget has raised expectations among employee groups and trade unions, who have long called for meaningful revisions to the PAYE tax structure to reflect the realities of the current cost of living crisis facing ordinary Sri Lankans.
Further details regarding the specific relief measures and revised tax thresholds are expected to be formally outlined when the full budget proposal is presented to Parliament.
The upcoming budget is being closely watched both domestically and by international partners, as Sri Lanka continues to navigate its path toward economic stabilisation following one of the worst financial crises in the island nation's post-independence history.
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What about the ppl who already paid so much PAYE last year, any refund or just forget it
Finally some relief for the salaried class, we are always the ones getting crushed
Promise is easy no, lets see what actually comes in the budget