Excise Dept surpasses targets

Excise Department Surpasses Expected Revenue Targets After Many Years

Commitment of officers and a corruption-free operational framework contributed to this achievement – Commissioner General of Excise Department

Efforts must be intensified to recover all revenue legally due to the Government – President

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that every effort must be made to recover all revenue due to the Government and emphasized that the key sectors responsible for generating state revenue bear significant responsibility for building economic and social stability in the country.

The President made these remarks during a meeting at the Excise Department auditorium with senior officials to review the Department’s performance in 2025 and its targets for 2026.

The Excise Department is on track to surpass its 2025 revenue target of Rs. 227.4 billion, with expected revenue reaching Rs. 231.3 billion. This marks the first time in its history that the Department has exceeded its revenue target by 2%.

The President noted that the country’s economy depends on state revenue and stressed that if state revenue collapses, the national economy will follow.

He said that the country faced severe consequences due to the sharp decline in state revenue in 2020–2021.

The President’s attention was drawn to the challenges the Excise Department faces in carrying out its functions, including issues related to vehicles and buildings. In particular, the President emphasized the need to reach internal consensus and resolve, without delay, the problems arising from vacancies in executive positions and related appointments.

The meeting further reviewed progress on amendments to the Excise Ordinance and the status of illicit liquor and narcotics detection operations conducted in 2025.

Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Nishantha Jayaweera, Commissioner General of Excise M.B.N.A. Premarathna, along with senior officials and members of the Excise Department staff, were present at the meeting.