Dec 17, Colombo: Sri Lanka's opposition United National Party (UNP) and the Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) charge that the government is gaining exorbitant profits from the petroleum tax.

Deputy Leader of UNP Sajith Premadasa said in a meeting held yesterday that the price of a liter of petrol is only Rs. 92 when imported. The government sells a liter of petrol at Rs. 149 per liter and further increased the price by Rs. 10 this week to Rs. 159, he pointed out.

The UNP Deputy Leader argued that a liter of petrol could be sold at Rs. 117 per liter with a fair profit.

According to JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, the price of a liter of petrol when unloaded at the Colombo port is Rs. 89. He points out that the government is profiting around Rs. 60 per liter of petrol.

Both parties say that the government is gaining an undue profit from petrol and the recent increase of petrol price by Rs. 10 is unfair.

Dissanayaka further stated that the government granting permission to the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) to increase petrol price by Rs.10 per liter is very unfair.

He said that although the state owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is losing due to supplying petroleum to Ceylon Electricity Board on credit, the LIOC is profiting unduly.