The government has decided to remove import restrictions imposed on selected items, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya says.
According to the lawmaker, import restrictions under several HS Codes on skincare products, vehicle spare parts and raw materials are slated to be lifted within the next two weeks.
The decision was taken after taking into account the repeated appeals made by those who are employed in relevant sectors and under the recommendations Economic Research Department of the Central Bank, State Minister Siyambalapitiya said while engaging in an inspection visit to the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake.
As the forex crisis exacerbated, the government published a special gazette notification on August 23, 2022, imposing restrictions on 1,465 items in total and subsequently, 708 items were removed from the said list of items after taking into consideration the appeals.
The state minister vowed to gradually relax the import restrictions on these items in the future.