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Now showing items 1-10 of 13
Explaining the Mirage of GDP Growth Optimism
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-08)
The government estimates that by 2015 per capita GDP will quadruple from what it was in 2004. But this is a mirage: real incomes will not even double in that period. The mirage is created by counting in US dollars and ...
USD 20 billion export target by 2020: Aiming to be mediocre
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-08)
In 2014, the government set an 'ambitious' target to increase exports to USD 20 billion by 2020. The Insight argues that this target is rather mediocre and yet, even with such a low bar, it is out of Sri Lanka's reach. ...
Sri Lanka’s international borrowing costs are not declining
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-11)
The government first raised international debt through bonds in October 2007. Since then several international bonds have been issued to feed the government’s twin demands: financing its spending and propping up foreign ...
Strengthening Parliament Critical for Credible Budgets
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-12)
Sri Lanka’s budgets show considerable variation between publicly declared budget allocations and actual expenditure on line items. This gap can create a credibility problem. There is a specific section in Sri Lankan laws ...
Parliament should have a formula for regulating cigarettes
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-06)
Variations in the tobacco excise tax affects Rs. 10s of billions in government revenue. Taxation and pricing have been inconsistent. This insight explains how the lack of a consistent method allows wide discretion to ...
Is Blocking Websites Making Sri Lankan Telecom Share Prices Vulnerable?
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-07)
If Sri Lankan Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are blocking news websites without due diligence, then their present and future share values are vulnerable. This Insight explains what ISPs should do to ensure minimum due ...
Sri Lanka’s Trade Liberalisation: What you see is NOT what you get
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-01-08)
Sri Lanka’s 2014 Budget claims a continuous commitment by the government to maintain a liberal, consistent and simple trade regime. The budget speech puts it this way: “A four band tariff structure presently in place is ...
Policy Needed on Environment: REDD+ is a plus
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-03-14)
The prime minister of Sri Lanka made a policy statement on 5th November 2013 to indicate the future priorities of the new government. It had over 70 inspirational statements indicating a wide array of issues and subjects ...
TAs with India and China: Potential for Sri Lanka
(Colombo: Verité Research, 2014-04)
Sri Lanka has various levels of trade agreements (TAs) with both India and China. A new TA with China was mooted in 2014 and the appetite for that continues in the new presidency and policy context of 2015. While statistics ...
Improving Sri Lanka’s Business Environment: It’s not so difficult
(2014-11)
In his budget speech, Finance Minister, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka “aims at gaining a ranking among the top 10 countries in Asia Pacific in the Doing Business Index (DBI).” This Insight finds constructive ...