Fuel surcharge to stay until CPC debt clears 

The Rs 50 surcharge on fuel will be withdrawn once the Treasury settles the remaining debt of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Minister of Energy Kumara Jayakody told Parliament.

Responding to a query from Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, Minister Jayakody said the levy, introduced by the previous administration, was a temporary measure to address the CPC’s staggering liabilities, which at one point totalled Rs 884 billion.

“Half of that debt has already been repaid. The Rs 50 fuel tax will be reconsidered for removal once the balance is fully settled,” he said.

He clarified that, apart from standard government taxes, this Rs 50 surcharge remains the only additional levy currently applied to fuel. 

The CPC’s accumulated debt had been transferred to the Treasury to shield the State-owned utility from insolvency during the height of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.