Record Revenue by Sri Lanka Customs – A True Success Story!

News Today: Sri Lanka Customs achieves Rs. 1 trillion revenue

Sri Lanka Customs has achieved record revenue of Rs.1,000 billion (Rs. 1 trillion) during the first eight months of this year.

The authority attributes this to the opportunity given to their officials to operate independently without external interference for the first time in history.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has set a revenue target of Rs.1,534 billion for 2024 and alteady Rs.1,000 billion targets have been achieved.

The Customs Director General Sarath Nonis confidently told Legacy Daily that the annual target can be achieved within the next four months of the year.

DG Sarath Nonis pointed out that the previous highest revenue record was Rs.975 billion in 2023. Typically, 25%-30% of total customs revenue comes from car imports, but this figure has dropped below 6% due to restrictions on car imports in both years.

He was grateful to the President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his guidance and support in his role as Financial Economic Stabilization and National Policy Minister.

He also acknowledged contributions from State Ministers Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Shehan Semasinghe.The Director General credits the department’s success to its independence,new operational methods and technical processes implemented over the past two years.

He added that over the past two years, the Department of Customs has implemented many positive changes, enabling officers to streamline operations through new methods and advanced technical processes.

Director General Sarath Nonis declared that the Customs staff were dedicated and as a result were able to combating fraud, corruption, and smuggling.

The department continues to enhance its administrative activities under an annual action plan, ensuring regular transfers and updates to customs procedures and quality improvements.