Four million adults yet to register for taxpayer ID numbers
Around four million Sri Lankans aged 18 and above have yet to register for a Taxpayer Identification Number, the Commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department, Nandana Kumara, has said.
Speaking in a televised interview, he said about 13 million people have registered out of an estimated adult population of 17 million.
Under existing law, everyone aged 18 and above is required to obtain a TIN, though the requirement had previously been enforced only for certain essential purposes.
The Commissioner sought to ease public concern, stressing that getting a TIN does not automatically mean a person must pay tax. Tax payments are required only from those who meet the relevant tax liability criteria, he said.
He said misconceptions about registration had created unnecessary fear, and that the requirement was introduced to streamline and improve the country's taxation system.
He urged adults who have not yet registered to do so, and said the department is working to make the registration process simpler.
