Sri Lanka's state non-tax income up 26.3% in Q1: Official data

Sri Lanka has seen steep increase in non-tax incomes in the first quarter of 2010 which accounted for more than half the revenue gains made by the state, official data shows. State revenues increased by 26.3 per cent in the first quarter to 182.7 billion rupees (US$1.6 billion) with tax revenues gaining 12.4 per cent and non-tax revenues climbing by a steep 194.6 per cent to 32.7 billion rupees.

* A finance ministry report said the government would be imposing levies on state banks, an insurance fund and the telecom regulator to get 21.8 billion rupees for the 2010 budget on profits and earnings they made last year.

* The Central Bank had already given a 20 billion rupee profit transfer as an 'advance' before the end of last year, helping boost state cash flows in late 2009.