People should rethink if the Rs. 1.4 trillion a year spent to maintain a 1.7 million state sector workforce brings real returns for the country and for them, urged former finance minister and UNP leader for Colombo Ravi Karunanayake.
Noting that there are 1.7 million state sector workers, he said that more than 76 per cent of the taxpayers’ money goes to maintain this 1.7 million.
"That sums up to Rs. 1.4 trillion. People should think if they get the real returns. Not just that, the CEB, CPC, Srilankan Airlines and the Water Board incurred a Rs. 1,350 billion loss in the past four years. That money has brought no returns for you or us. Had that money been saved, 1.2 million houses could have been built. Also, every citizen could have saved Rs. 178,000," Karunanayake said.
He pointed out that all the money was wasted without fiscal discipline.
"All these are the consequences of providing services free of charge. How can a country avoid bankruptcy if it spends more than the income? We need to create a tomorrow better than today for our children,” he added.
