Sri Lanka Customs has crossed Rs 2 trillion in revenue with more than three months of 2026 still remaining. It is an impressive number. But behind it lies another remarkable number: more than half a trillion rupees had already come from vehicle imports by June. And amid allegations in Parliament about the way Customs treats importers, NEWSLINE asks whether record collection alone tells us enough about the health of the institution.
Sri Lanka Customs has passed the Rs 2 trillion revenue mark for 2026, reaching the milestone on September 15 and putting the Department within striking distance of its entire annual target with more than three months of the year remaining.
The official target for 2026 is approximately Rs 2.207 trillion. Customs’ own figures show that by September 14 it had collected Rs 1.985 trillion, meaning the Department had already achieved roughly 90 percent of its full-year target before subsequently crossing Rs 2 trillion.
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On the surface, that is an extraordinary fiscal performance. Customs collected a record Rs 2.558 trillion in 2025. Remarkably, this year’s official target was actually set lower, partly because authorities expected revenue from motor vehicle imports to decline. Instead, Customs has exceeded its monthly targets for eight consecutive months.
Vehicles have been particularly important. Figures presented to Parliament’s Committee on Ways and Means showed that 316,000 vehicles had been imported by June 30, generating Rs 512.547 billion in tax revenue. Of that, Rs 386.726 billion was attributed specifically to motor vehicles, while petrol cars below 1,000cc alone generated Rs 137.4 billion.
This is overwhelmingly money collected from economic activity and taxation. It is ultimately money coming from businesses and consumers. The achievement nevertheless matters. Sri Lanka emerged from its economic collapse desperately needing to rebuild government revenue.
But another Customs story has been developing at precisely the same time. Opposition MP Mujibur Rahman recently used Parliament to make serious allegations about the treatment of importers by sections of Customs. These remain allegations, and Customs should have the opportunity to answer them fully.
Rahman also drew attention to the Customs rewards structure. According to his parliamentary claims, when certain fines are imposed, 50 percent goes to a Customs officers’ rewards scheme, 20 percent to the Customs Welfare Fund and 30 percent to the Treasury.
That raises a legitimate public-interest question quite separate from whether individual importers have broken Customs regulations: should officials responsible for enforcement have a substantial direct financial interest in penalties arising from that enforcement?
Revenue performance and institutional integrity are two different measurements. Sri Lanka Customs can reasonably celebrate passing Rs 2 trillion. The public is equally entitled to ask how that money was collected, whether the system treats taxpayers consistently, whether enforcement incentives are appropriate and whether allegations of abuse are investigated independently.
If Customs can collect Rs 2 trillion by the middle of September, taxpayers will understandably want to know when improved government revenues begin translating into something they can actually see: better hospitals, better schools, better transport and eventually a less oppressive tax burden. Collecting the money is one half of the equation. What the State does with it is the other.
