The government has instructed state institutions to auction selected luxury vehicles with a high-capacity engine, including V8 models, and provide a report on the income generated before 01 March 2025 to the Ministry of Finance.
According to the Lankadeepa newspaper, the instructions have been issued by Finance Ministry Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena to all heads of state institutions via a special circular.
Per the circular, vehicles that fall under the HS 87.03 category of the Customs Ordinance, such as Petrol vehicles with a high-capacity engine of over 1800CC and Diesel vehicles with a high-capacity engine of over 2300CC, such as double cabs, single cab, vans, bus, lorry, and trucks, are to be auctioned.
The Finance Ministry has prohibited state institutions from acquiring any of the vehicles that are to be auctioned.
The circular further points out that it is the responsibility of all state institution heads to ensure that all state vehicles are monitored and utilized in a manner that incurs less expense for the state entity and prevents its misuse. (Newswire)