Lakbima News, 10 August 2008:
An article published in the Lakbima News documents an interview held with Prof. Rohan Samarajiva on the proposed mobile phone taxes in Sri Lanka:
“Economic incentives are used to help the environment. The objective of such measures is not to make money - the sole objective should be to prevent people from doing things harmful to the environment. But if we take the two per cent envy levy on mobiles - for this to qualify as an incentive, it should modify certain behaviour…the behaviour that is modified is the use of mobile phones.”
Actually, the TRC has nothing to do with the envy levy; the blame for that lies with the Minister for the Enviornment, Mr Ranawaka. The journalist gets it right, but it’s the editor who puts the headline.