A senior delegation of the International Monetary Fund, including Mr. Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the International Monetary Fund's Asia Pacific Department and Dr. Peter Breuer, the Senior Mission Head, met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the President's Office on Thursday (03) and engaged in a special discussion.
In this discussion in which the Central Bank Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Secretary of Treasury, Mahinda Siriwardena, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, the President's Senior Advisors Professor Anil Jayantha and Duminda Hulangamuwa along with a group of key officials of Sri Lanka.participated, the progress of the ongoing program between the IMF and Sri Lanka was reviewed.
The President, while reaffirming the broad agreement of the government in principle with the objectives of the program with the International Monetary Fund, emphasized the importance of reaching those goals through alternative ways that would remove the burden placed on the people.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also pointed out that the government has planned to provide relief to the people who are affected by high VAT and income tax.
The IMF Representatives who appreciated the present President’s commitment to achieve the goals of the program with the International Monetary Fund, also agreed to discuss the alternative approaches proposed by the Sri Lankan government.
Also, the attention of both parties was drawn on the initiation of the third review of the program between the International Monetary Fund and Sri Lanka, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake guaranteed to the IMF that the process will continue without interruption although there may be some delays due to the upcoming general election.
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