The ways and means committee of parliament has instructed relevant state officials to suspend the licenses of liquor manufacturers who have failed to pay the excise tax instalments due by 04 December.
The order came at a meeting of the committee on 06 December, chaired by Patali Champika Ranawaka.
The committee inquired from the Department of Inland Revenue as to why a list of the defaulters with dues of more than Rs. 100 million each was not provided despite two requests.
IRD officials said they were seeking the attorney general's advice in that regard.
Ordering that the list be made available by 31 December, the committee expressed displeasure on that count and also over the IRD's failure to implement its recommendations.
The committee ordered further that the taxes on undue profits earned by two main wheat flour importers and the sugar importers be recovered.
It also gave instructions for the recovery of Rs. 173 billion of collectable taxes by 31 December.
