Used Imports Get a 15% Tax Break New Cars Don't — CMTA Wants It Scrapped

Right now a used import gets its CIF value cut by a flat 15% before duty is worked out, no matter how new or barely driven the car actually is. The CMTA says this concession cost the Treasury about Rs 40 billion in 2025 and has already hit Rs 120 billion by September this year, and it wants the 2027 Budget to drop the flat rate for an age-based scale capped at 10%. Agents selling brand-new stock call it an unfair edge for the used-import trade and a straight revenue leak the country cannot afford right now. Importers and buyers counter that a used car already carries depreciation, unknown mileage and no factory warranty, so some relief is deserved, and killing it just pushes prices up for people who cannot stretch to brand-new anyway. If this lands in the Nov 12 Budget, is CMTA right to kill the discount, or does it just make the only affordable option more expensive? බජට් එකෙන් මේක වෙනස් කළොත්, පාවිච්චි කරපු කාර් එකක මිල ඔබට වැඩි වෙයිද?