Rs 120bn 'Lost' to a 15% Used-Car Tax Break — Scrap It, or Protect Affordable Imports?

Motor traders (CMTA) say a 15% depreciation discount applied to the CIF value of every used vehicle import has cost the Treasury close to Rs 120 billion since last year, and they're now pushing the government to scrap or taper it in the 2027 Budget. The concession cuts the import duty base by 15% regardless of how old the vehicle is, which traders argue barely reflects real value loss and just shaves tax off every container that lands. Dealers and buyers of reconditioned imports counter that killing it will push up prices on exactly the vehicles most families can still afford, right when brand-new car sales have already dropped to a trickle. The middle-ground idea floating around is a tiered, age-based depreciation instead of one flat 15% for everything from a one-year-old import to a five-year-old one. If you've bought or imported a used vehicle recently, did that 15% actually show up as a lower price, or do you think the importer just kept the difference? මේ සහනය අයින් කළොත් ලාභ මිල ගණන් එහෙමම යනවද, නැත්නම් රජයට සල්ලි ඉතුරු වෙයිද?