Govt. imports 8 super luxury Benz cars

From Sunday Leader
The government has ordered eight super luxury, high security Benz cars from Germany at a duty free cost of over US dollars four million, The Sunday Leader learns.

Informed sources said each Benz was in the region of US $ 500,000 duty free.

The super luxury vehicles are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka next month.

It is learned that the value of each vehicle with full cumulative duties of 500 per cent would be in the region of US$ 2.5 million or approximately Rs. 267 million.

The luxury vehicles are to come at a time the government citing the global oil crisis is to introduce tough economic measures including the curtailment of the school week to four days by increasing the current daily school duration by 90 minutes.

In terms of the duty structure the value of the eight super luxury vehicles will be approximately Rs. 2.13 billion.

President Mahinda Rajapakse in a memorandum submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers last week called for a one year suspension on the importation of motor vehicles other than vehicles imported for the provision of health, security and similar purposes unless the importers pay the full duty and taxes on the importation of vehicles.

"At present the government has imposed cumulative duties up to 500 per cent on luxury vehicles but very often various types of vehicles are imported under concessionary arrangement, thereby weakening the impact of duties and taxes imposed on such vehicles," the President said in the May 28 memorandum.

Informed sources said the official reason for the importation of the luxury vehicles is for use in the three-day SAARC Summit in August after which the vehicles will be attached to the Presidential fleet.

It is learned several ministers have called for high security vehicles and the President had indicated some vehicles from his existing fleet would be allocated once the SAARC Summit is concluded and the new luxury vehicles are allocated to his fleet.