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Ranil justifies tax hikes amidst criticism_我的网站

一 |     AI摘要      福州地铁推行“轨道+”模式，植入体育、文化、服务等多元业态，将地铁站转型为集健身、非遗展示、便民服务于一体的城市公共空间，提升地下空间利用效率，服务市民美好生活。

二 |               南门兜站开展非遗展演活动。    Colombo, Oct 20 (UNI) Amid growing criticism, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has justified a hike in income tax for both corporates and individuals, saying it was for the greater good of the country and critical to garner much needed financial support from the international community.
In an address to the nation, the President said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with which the government has signed a Staff Level Agreement for a $2.9 billion four-year financial support, advised the need for a surplus in Sri Lanka’s primary budget, the Daily FT reported on Thursday.
“It was agreed to since the country needs the support of the IMF,” he was quoted him as saying.
“It was also decided to increase the country’s income from 8.5 per cent to 14.5 per cent of the GDP. However, it is a difficult task to accomplish immediately, it is envisaged to achieve this by 2026.
"Initially, a decision had to be taken on the manner in which the income is to be increased. Money was printed due to the decrease in income. During the past two years, Rs. 2,300 billion has been printed, resulting in inflation rising to 70-75 per cent and even more in respect of food inflation," he said.
Wickremesinghe said these increases need to be controlled, while securing income. Therefore, during the discussions with the IMF a new tax system was proposed. The IMF informed that even the export industries would be required to pay taxes.
The IMF pointed out that in countries with an export economy, the related industries were liable for tax. The IMF also upheld that Sri Lanka’s primary export economy is based on the plantation industry.
During British rule, taxes were charged from every plantation sector, including tea, coconut and rubber. Therefore, if the country has to move towards that goal, taxes will have to be paid. The export sector has now questioned this aspect and the related concerns are to be submitted to the IMF.
Referring to the issue of higher personal income taxation, the President said the majority of tax revenue was through indirect taxation. The majority of the country’s citizens, even those below the poverty line, had no choice but to pay indirect taxes, the President said.
The direct tax revenue was 20 per cent and 80 per cent has been derived from indirect taxes.
The IMF had reservations in this regard and said the amount of tax obtained through direct taxes should exceed 20 per cent. The IMF noted that otherwise this would not be successful and ordinary citizens would need to pay taxes, the President said.
Therefore, the Treasury and the IMF discussed the possibility of limiting the taxation from those who have an income of Rs. 200,000, which did not materialise. Eventually, this resulted in the decision to levy income tax on people earning over 100,000. This has become a vital concern amongst citizens.
But without this tax system, the desired goal will not be achieved. The agreed goal is to achieve 14.5-15 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) revenue by 2026, Wickremesinghe said.
If Sri Lanka withdraws from this programme, IMF assistance will not be received. Without IMF certification, the support of institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and the countries that have supported financially will not be forthcoming. Then, Sri Lanka will be back to the era of queues, he warned.
In his address, Wickremesinghe also said the Government was ready to implement prudent economic management after successful debt restructuring.
He noted that it was not possible to strengthen the economy without increasing the revenue of the country, which will compel him to reluctantly make tough decisions in order to rebuild the nation.
The President pointed out how in November 2019, the country’s taxes were drastically reduced, reducing the government revenue to 8.5 per cent. This was when the IMF set aside the agreements with Colombo and declared that it was unable to provide the agreed assistance.
"That year the government lost approximately Rs. 600-700 billion as revenue. Simultaneously, the country had to face the Covid-19 pandemic. These issues are the main factors that led to the collapse of Sri Lanka’s economy.
"The country at this juncture is facing a difficult period. Expectedly tough decisions have to be taken during these difficult times. I undertook this challenge when no one else was willing to come forward."
UNI MR。（福州地铁供图）     一座城市的地铁站不只是出行载体，也可以是强身健体的运动空间、沉浸式看展的艺术长廊、一处为市民服务的歇脚驿站。如今在福州，地铁以“轨道+”为路径，将体育、文化、服务等多元业态植入地下空间，从单一交通载体向城市公共服务空间转型。    “轨道+体育”：     地下空间的“全民健身场”     傍晚六点半，滨海快线南公园站的出站口，一部分乘客没有径直出站，而是走进了站厅一侧的匹克球场馆。700平方米的空间里灯火通明，许多市民正在挥拍对战，击球声和欢笑声交织在一起。    这是福州首个开进地铁站的匹克球馆，7月底试营业以来，迅速成为周边居民和上班族的热门打卡地。

三 | “下班出地铁直接打球，然后坐地铁回家，省掉了往返球馆的一个多小时。”在附近上班的林先生是首批体验者，他告诉记者，过去他总因“太远太累”放弃下班后的运动计划，如今地铁站成了他的“健身房”。    南公园站匹克球馆的出现并非偶然。

四 | 随着城市轨道交通线网不断加密，大量地铁站厅、通道等地下空间存在利用效率不高的问题。

五 | 如何让这些“沉睡”的“金银边角”活起来？福州地铁给出的答案是：植入轻运动业态，打造“轨道+体育”新场景。    匹克球门槛低、运动量适中，适合全年龄段，恰好与地铁站“高频、便捷、全民”的场景属性契合。市民走进地铁即可解锁“出站即达、换乘即练”的健身体验。    “把地铁站打造为运动空间，最大的优势是可达性。

六 | ”福州地铁相关负责人表示，传统体育场馆往往受限于地理位置和营业时间，而地铁站运营时间长、覆盖人群广，市民“顺路就能运动”，有效降低了健身的时间成本。

七 |     “轨道+文化”：     通勤路上的“流动展馆”     如果说体育服务拓展了地铁站的物理空间功能，那么非遗的植入，则赋予了地铁站更深层的城市文化属性。    近期，在地铁2号线南门兜站的中心舞台上，一场非遗展演活动火热上演，民族器乐、声乐独唱、诗词吟诵轮番登场，换乘通道成了“小剧场”，不少来往乘客纷纷驻足观看。    这样的文化场景，已出现在多个地铁站点。

八 | 今年春节期间，福州将地铁打造成“流动的非遗展厅”，开展了为期2个月的“非遗进地铁”活动，闽剧、福州评话等在地铁站轮番上演；寿山石雕、脱胎漆器、软木画等非遗瑰宝被搬进地铁主题展柜；换乘通道的非遗插画展，以画作呈现福州的历史文化肌理……传统文化通过地铁网络走进了千家万户。    从活态展演到静态展陈，文化植入的形式不断延伸。

九 | 今年3月，福州地铁在象峰站打造福建省首个闽都中医药文化主题车站，将福州中医药发展史、榕派名医、炮制技艺、治未病智慧等融入公共空间，同时发布闽都中医康养旅游线路，依托轨道交通推动中医药文化与文旅深度融合。    “地铁站是城市重要的公共空间，日均客流量大，天然具备文化传播的场景优势。

十 | ”福州地铁相关负责人表示，把非遗植入地铁，本质上是把文旅资源送到市民每天的“必经之路”上，降低了文化消费门槛，也让本土文化在日常通勤中实现活态传播。    “轨道+服务”：     方寸间的“生活管家”     地铁站不只是通勤赶路的通道，还可以是贴心的城市生活服务区。福州将便民场景搬进地铁站，用小空间接住了市民的大需求。

十一 |     近期，福州地铁“上新”了爱心休息区和茶摊，在南门兜站爱心休息区，刚送完午高峰订单的外卖骑手小王坐下来喝了杯水，笑着说：“天气炎热，能在这歇口气、喝杯水，真是太舒坦了。”     据了解，福州地铁已在全线网设置42处爱心休息区、48个爱心茶摊，客服中心设有便民服务箱，免费提供应急物品和防暑物资，此外，快剪理发、自助寄存、洗衣服务、便利店等便民设施也遍布地铁各站点，贴心满足市民各类需求。    除了普惠服务，针对特定群体与场景的精细化探索，则让地下空间更有温度。    今年以来，屏山站、达道站等11个地铁站点试点推出“儿童友好通道”，闸机常开、免刷卡通行，让儿童不再贴紧父母“闯关”；聚焦菜农赶早市的需求，滨海快线上线晨间助农服务，推出“搭把手”帮扶、便民小推车等服务，用轨道线串起民生点滴；针对高温天气，陆庄站设置临时纳凉区，让户外务工人员有一方歇脚处。这些看似微小的举措，回应了城市中容易被忽略的那群人最朴素的需求。    当前，国内轨道交通普遍面临“重建设、轻运营”的问题，大量地下空间的“金银边角”利用效率低，福州地铁的“轨道+”实践，通过植入体育、文化、服务等多元业态，让地铁不仅是便捷的出行载体，也成为市民美好生活的延伸。（记者 傅亦静）。

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Published on:08:58:50