Govt announces temporary TIN relief for two services

Daily Mirror, Daily FT, EconomyNext, Newswire and Ada Derana report that Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department has postponed mandatory submission of a Taxpayer Identification Number certificate for eight specified transactions until April 1, 2027. EconomyNext reports that the requirement was originally scheduled to begin on November 1, 2026, under the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2026.

EconomyNext reports that the Commissioner General of Inland Revenue issued a notice on Thursday, with Finance Ministry approval, after demand for certificates rose among people needing them for the listed transactions and members of the wider public. Newswire reports that people faced difficulties obtaining certificates, including long queues at Inland Revenue offices and disruption to the department’s online registration system.

Newswire lists the affected transactions as opening bank accounts, seeking building plan approvals, registering vehicles, renewing vehicle revenue licences, registering land or businesses, transferring company shares and obtaining credit cards. Daily FT and Newswire report that the Finance Ministry has clarified that individuals may open new bank accounts and renew motor vehicle revenue licences without producing a TIN certificate under temporary arrangements. Newswire reports that this relief for those two services had been introduced earlier.

EconomyNext reports that the IRD plans to introduce more convenient ways for people already registered to obtain physical or digital certificates during the extension. EconomyNext also reports that the department encouraged people who have not registered to use its online e-Services platform to obtain a TIN before the revised deadline.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.