Luxury Cars — Typical Extravaganza in Sri Lanka-by Bedgar Perera
Source:Thuppahis
In recent days, [a] vehicle display at Galle Face attracted much interest. Most of them were fuel guzzling, power packed automobiles, expensive to run and unaffordable to most unless somebody like the government or a big company picks up the tab. They were lavishly used by political appointees of many sorts at no cost to themselves.
The Island (Oct. 1) ran the headline: “PMD reveals sheer number of vehicles used by RW’s aides. Among these vehicles, there is a Porsche Cayenne, a number of Mercedes Benz 300s, Toyota Land Cruiser V8s, and Toyota Land Cruiser Prados, all of which had been imported by the government at great cost.’’
Many options for future use of these vehicles had been discussed via the media and I thought of adding my two cents’ worth, solely with interest of this run-down country at heart and with no ulterior motives whatever. The idea of assigning these vehicles to government institutions short of transport is not very good.
They will surely continue to run as before at taxpayer cost with no benefit to anybody except those riding them. It is commonsense for government institution to use only utility vehicles where officials can travel economically in reasonable comfort.
A better option in my view, is for the Government to sell them transparently by public tender or auction, so that individuals, companies, hotels, tourist agencies or any other non-government agencies who can afford them could acquire them for their own purposes. The proceeds of such sales would flow into government coffers for the benefit of all and the taxpayer spared prohibitive running and fuel costs.
Last but not least, the option of exporting these vehicles could be considered upon a proper assessment of what they would fetch at home and abroad remembering that costs here are very high due to the duty component. But if they are exported, the yield would be in foreign exchange.
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It is sincerely hoped that the new administration which up to now appears to be putting many things right will make sure that these prohibitively high cost vehicles will not ply the roads again at government expense and we can rest assured that whoever rides them, or their companies, is picking up the tab. May Sri Lanka do what is best for her people in the years ahead.
