COLOMBO – Sri Lanka Customs has imposed a penalty of around 70 million rupees on an imported Rolls-Royce vehicle after determining that the car had been wrongly declared, two government sources familiar with the matter said.
According to officials, the importer declared the vehicle as a Rolls-Royce Phantom Auto with a stated value of £417,000, inclusive of a 20% tax in the United Kingdom.
“Based on the declaration, the importer claimed the vehicle was a Phantom Auto model. However, Customs officials found that the vehicle’s length and wheelbase exceeded the specifications of that model,” one official told EconomyNext.
Subsequent inspections identified the car as a Rolls-Royce Phantom Auto Extended Wheelbase (EWB), which carries a higher market value. Officials said the EWB model is priced at approximately £479,000 in the UK, including tax.
As a result of the misdeclaration, the importer was required to pay a total of about 370 million rupees in duties and charges, including the 70-million-rupee penalty, a second official said.
Sri Lanka Customs Spokesman Chandana Punchihewa was not immediately available for comment.
The import drew public attention after Rolls-Royce Phantoms became a subject of social media discussion, following a post by businessman Dudley Sirisena claiming that a vehicle he purchased was one of only 25 models produced globally to mark the brand’s 100th anniversary.
Subsequently, some social media posts speculated that a Rolls-Royce Phantom ‘Centenary’ edition had been imported into Sri Lanka.
However, officials said preliminary findings indicate that the vehicle in question is not a Centenary model.
“If Customs were to establish that the car is a Phantom Centenary edition, the applicable taxes alone would exceed one billion rupees,” a government source said, adding that further duties and penalties would apply in such a case.
-economynext.com/ENCL
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