MP Harsha de Silva has joined a list of Parliamentarians calling for the review of the government’s recent 15% taxation on service exports.
Taking to X, the MP said that during the economic crisis remote work which earn foreign exchange was what prevented further brain drain in the country, allowing Sri Lankans to earn competitive salaries while remaining in Sri Lanka
De Silva said that it is ironic that Sri Lanka is attempting to market itself as a haven for digital nomads, while introducing restrictive tax policies. “We’re marketing #SriLanka as a haven for foreign #digitalnomads while simultaneously taxing our own citizens for the same work. This sends conflicting signals to investors and undermines our competitiveness,” the MP said.
He also questioned how the government plans to grow Sri Lanka’s IT workforce while implementing policies which discourage digital entrepreneurship.
“Other countries are creating incentives to grow their digital economies. If we make #SriLanka hostile to digital service exports, our remaining talent will relocate – accelerating #braindrain & forex loss. We must reconsider these shortsighted taxes,” he said. (Islandnews)
