Deputy Minister of Finance Dr. Anil Jayantha has rejected media reports claiming that presidential expenditure for 2026 has tripled compared to 2025, describing them as misleading and technically inaccurate.
Addressing the media, Dr. Jayantha explained that the 2025 Appropriation Bill initially listed Rs. 2.9 billion but did not reflect the complete expenditure outlined in the national budget. He noted that Rs. 5.05 billion was separately allocated for the Clean Sri Lanka project and Rs. 1 billion for research on innovation and commercialization.
“Accordingly, the total presidential expenditure for 2025 stands at Rs. 9 billion. The 2026 Appropriation Bill shows Rs. 11.6 billion, which already includes these allocations. Therefore, the comparison made by some media outlets is technically flawed,” he said.
Dr. Jayantha, who also served as Acting Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies, presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to Parliament on September 26 on behalf of President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who was abroad at the time.
