The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), together with KPMG Sri Lanka, hosted the Post Budget Seminar 2026 in Colombo, gathering leading economists, policymakers and business leaders for an in depth analysis of the National Budget.

The panel featured Dr M. Kapila Senanayake, Director General of the Department of Fiscal Policy; Prof Sirimal Abeyratne, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Executive Director of CEPA; Hasitha Raddella, Partner – Tax and Regulatory at KPMG Sri Lanka; Ruwan Fernando, Council Member of NCCSL; and Nandika Buddhipala, former CFO of Commercial Bank.

Hasitha Raddella highlighted taxation updates, noting, “While no new taxes were introduced, revenue expectations have increased. The VAT threshold has been reduced to Rs 36 million per annum, and processes will be streamlined to ease the burden on businesses.”

Dr Senanayake emphasised strong fiscal discipline under the IMF framework. “Our budget is really a development budget. Government development is the key here,” he said, underscoring focus on sustainability, exports and digital transformation.

Prof Abeyratne stressed structural reforms and social well being, stating, “Six to eight million Sri Lankans remain below the poverty line, with hidden poverty among middle class families.” Buddhipala added that effective public investment drives both short and medium term growth.

The seminar reaffirmed NCCSL’s pivotal role in guiding private sector dialogue on fiscal policy and national development.

Keywords: NCCSL, KPMG, Budget 2026, taxation, fiscal discipline, digitalisation, structural reforms