CMTA Wants the 15% Used-Car Tax Break Scrapped in Budget 2027 — Who Loses?

The Ceylon Motor Traders' Association says the 15% depreciation allowance on used vehicle imports (a straight cut to the CIF value before duty is calculated) has cost the government an estimated Rs. 120 billion in lost revenue by September 2026, with roughly 70% of all imports going through this channel against just 30% brand-new. They want it abolished in the 2027 Budget. One side says this is a straightforward loophole: two cars of near-identical value get taxed differently just because one is "used," and the state is bleeding revenue it badly needs right now. The other side says kill the allowance and you kill affordability — most families buying a sub-3-year-old Japanese import are already stretching their budget, and this is the only thing keeping those cars within reach of anyone who isn't buying brand-new. If this allowance goes in the budget, do you think used-import prices jump immediately, or do importers just absorb the margin hit? And if you've actually bought a used import recently, what share of your final price was duty versus the vehicle itself? මේක අයින් කළාම පාවිච්චි කරපු කාර් වල මිල ඉහළ යනවාද?