Sri Lanka is set to unveil new taxes as public revenue continues to be less than the targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the cabinet spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Tax income rose 51% in first nine months of 2023 versus the same period last year, the spokesperson said, adding that the cabinet has approved an escalation of the value-added tax rate up to 18% with effect from 2024. (Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe; Writing by Blassy Boben; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)