Independent presidential candidate Mr. Roshan Ranasinghe says that if he becomes president in the next presidential election, he plans to reduce the current vehicle prices by at least 80% in his manifesto.
In a press conference, he criticized the manifestos of other candidates and said that none of the presidential candidates have proposed a feasible solution for the importation of vehicles.
He also said that the policy statements of other candidates are their ideas and not what the people are asking for.
He also highlighted the actions of MPs who enjoy luxury cars with taxpayers’ money and the background of giving such cars to ordinary citizens at unaffordable prices.
“Why are young people angry with politicians now? They think these MPs are driving luxury cars taken from the government. “They think that can’t buy a car even if they have money,” he said.
“During my administration, I will open up the vehicle importing market to import vehicles up to 15-year-old,” he emphasized.
Ranasinghe explained that a 2010 Toyota Prius can be imported for 22 lakh rupees even if it costs 20 million rupees due to the current policies.
He also said that similarly, a 2010 Aqua can be imported for Rs. 1.7 million even if it is Rs. 10 million now.
Mr. Ranasinghe also emphasizes that detailed plans to reduce vehicle import costs will be revealed under the economic plans of his election manifesto.
Stating the importance of vehicles, Ranasinghe said that the domestic production of essential items such as medicines, which significantly affect foreign exchange reserves, should be increased.
‘If we open up the market for some of these vehicle models, we can reduce our dollar cost by at least 20%. “We can save foreign exchange and open the economy for progress,” he said.
