The Government reduced taxes on certain types of imported rice with immediate effect, as part of its efforts to ease rice prices which increased considerably in the last quarter of 2016 (FPMA Food Policies). Several previous taxes (Customs Duty, Value Added Tax, Port and Airport Levy and National Building Tax) that summed up to LKR 80 (USD 0.53) per kg of imported rice have been removed and replaced by a special commodity levy of only LKR 15 (USD 0.1) per kg. The concession will apply to the imports of Samba, Naadu and Red rice but not Basmati rice.